


For King and Country

by ericsonclan



Series: For King and Country [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Battle, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Cannibalism, Execution, F/F, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Honor, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Protective Siblings, Royalty, Witchcraft, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26918983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Clem & AJ go to a kingdom in search of refuge but find that the apocalypse has been no less cruel to the kingdom of Ericson.
Relationships: Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Allison/Willy (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody & Minnie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody & Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody/Mitch (Walking Dead: Done Running), Christa/Omid (Walking Dead: Long Road Ahead), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Jesse/James (Walking Dead: Suffer The Children), Louis & Marlon (Walking Dead: Done Running), Marlon/Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Minerva & Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha & Aasim (Walking Dead: Done Running), Prisha/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Renata & Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Renata/Minnie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Sophie & Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: For King and Country [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964101
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. General Synopsis

**Author's Note:**

> (by Linnea)
> 
> The first work in this series is a general run down of characters since the works following this will not be in chronological order. The general run down will be updated from time to time as the AU is fleshed out.

Louis: Prince who becomes king after father dies. Tries to right by the people and protect them from walkers

Marlon: Leader of the Knights of Ericson and most trusted friend

Rosie: Royal guard dog that was rescued by Marlon when he was a child.

Mitch: Royal blacksmith and childhood friends with Omar. Willy is his younger brother and Tripp is his father.

Omar: Royal Head chef

Willy: Orphan and inspiring Knight. Who got adopted by Tripp when the apocalypse broke out

Sophie, Minnie, Violet, Brody: Royal knights.

Tenn: painter that lifts the citizens’ spirits during the apocalypse

Ruby: Kingdom’s healer and sister of Brody. Although neither know since they were separate at birth.

Clem and AJ: Runaways from a slave labor camp. The camp along with many others used children in inhumane experiments. Apocalypse happens due to those experiments gone wrong. Both care deeply about each becoming each other’s adoptive sibling and strive to become knights to protect the kingdom of Ericson.

Renata: Court Jester

Prisha and Aasim: Siblings that aspire to be scholars. They were accused of witchcraft and were sentenced for execution but the apocalypse happens and they live. Prisha becomes court alchemist and Aasim the king’s advisor.

Carlos: king of neighboring kingdom that only will help Louis if he marries Sarah in a politically driven marriage.

Tripp: Blacksmith and father to Mitch and Willy

Lee: One of the knights of Old who was like a second father to Louis

Pete, Omid, Christa, Molly, Kenny: Honorable Knights of Old.

The Stranger: A man whose family died early on in the apocalypse and he has never been the same since....

Larry: Just the absolute worst and one of the Knights of Old.

Carley: Who fancies Lee and is one of the Knights of Old. Adopted Brody when she was a baby.

Marlon's father: Commander of the Knights of Old

Ms. Martin: The kingdom's healer who adopted Ruby when she was a baby.


	2. Great Halls Bloodied and Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie waits as her execution date draws near. Wondering what the king of Ericson will do with the deal that has been brought to him.

Sophie leaned her head against the cold brick wall. A low gurgle emitted from her stomach. The young knight reached down, placing her hand over her stomach. Her pale blue eyes wandered over to the cell door that kept her stuck in the Kingdom of Howes. It had been nearly three days since they had taken her captive. Sophie shook her head and glared down at the chains around her wrists. 

She should’ve known that something was off when King Carlos had ordered that Renata, a simple court jester, be brought to his kingdom as a sign of good faith. She couldn’t blame the king of Ericson for sending her though. They were desperate for aid and everyone figured it would be fine since Sophie, one of the core knights, would be by the jester’s side. Yet here she was captive and torn away from her kingdom and her loved ones. Used as a bargaining chip to twist King Louis’ arm into an unfair deal with the king of Howes. 

Sophie’s eyes wandered up to the small window in her cell. She just prayed that Renata made it out alright. There was never any guarantee of safety in the world now that the living dead had risen. The knight let out a shaky sigh. Even if the court jester had made it back, it would only mean that her friends and king were in turmoil over the decision. King Carlos had left Renata with a message to bring to the king of Ericson: bring him the sorceress or the knight would be executed in four days’ time.

There was no sorceress although Sophie knew who Carlos believed to be one. How the kingdom of Howes had heard the rumor of Prisha being able to use witchcraft was unknown. But it was false all the same. Sophie knew that. All of those who helped protect the kingdom of Ericson knew that. Sophie stared off, deep in thought as to how she would spend her last hours and worried for those she’d leave behind when she was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts. 

Footsteps approached her cell door. A tall, burly guard stood in front of it, a scowl on his face as he rummaged for his keys and unlocked the door. Sophie rose to her feet, slightly swaying from the rapid movement as the guard entered the cell followed soon by another.

“Where are you taking me?” The young knight still kept her calm tone even though she was frightened.

“To see the king,” The guard mumbled and reached forward, grabbing one of her arms harshly. The other guard soon had his grip on the knight’s other arm. The two guards dragged her forward, silent and unreadable as they made their way through the castle towards the throne room. As soon as they were in sight, the guards at the front of the grand carved wooden doors opened them, revealing a young princess with dark black hair standing beside the throne. The king sat there, a casualness to him that rubbed the knight the wrong way as he ate a bushel of grapes. The guards tossed Sophie harshly onto the ground, causing her to skid to a stop, her hair covering her sight. The knight tossed back her hair and slowly looked up towards the king.

“Three days,” The king tossed another grape into his mouth. “Three days and your king has done nothing. I offered him a deal before, to marry my daughter and our kingdoms would be united against their common enemy.” He motioned out the grand window that showed the entirety of his kingdom, including the wall which was swarming with walkers only seen thanks to the torches they had lit. Soldiers on the wall aimed their bows and took out the living dead one by one. “But he forced my hand and now here you stand,” Carlos rose to his feet. “Hungry and tired. Alone and forgotten. Where is your king now?” Carlos strolled forward. “Now that one of his trusted knights has been taken?”   
Sophie glared up at the king. “My king puts the needs of his people above all else. He doesn’t jump into things blindly.”

Carlos seemed annoyed by the knight’s response. “Well, that’s clearly not true. Or else he would’ve taken either of my deals by now.” He let out an irritating sigh. “I was too gracious with the amount of time. I grow tired of waiting. If he had a brain, he would've made up his mind by now. Reggie!” The king’s eyes shot over to a thin Indian man dressed in the royal colors of Howes.

“Y-yes, your Highness?” Reggie’s voice cracked near the end of his sentence.

“Go to the Kingdom of Ericson. Tell them I’ve grown tired of waiting and if I don’t hear a response by dawn, I will go forward with the execution of this knight.”

Sophie’s eyes grew large as she stared up at the king then over to the window. Based on the light, the knight could tell that there weren’t many hours until dawn. Barely enough for their messengers to reach the kingdom.

“You deliver a message telling of how you will take away their time, making it impossible for them to do anything but play your game,” Sophie rose to her feet, her eyes burning with anger. She walked forward only for two knights to grab her arms. “You’re a cowardly king! Greedy and unkind!” Sophie spat, venom in her voice. “You speak as if you are fair and caring yet you will never be half the king Louis is!” 

Carlos glared into the young knight’s eyes, his face twisting into a deep scowl. With a snap of his fingers, the guards forced Sophie to her knees. “You dare speak to a king like that in his presence?” the king hissed, looking into Sophie’s eyes which were unapologetic. “Clearly I’ve made the right call,” Carlos turned sharply on his heel and resumed his position on his throne. Straightening his back, he held the false dignity of a king. “Let the kingdom know that they must all be present for the execution. May your death be a sign to all who think to oppose my generous offers.”

“May my death shine a light on your wicked ways, that it may show how far a king can fall!” 

Carlos’s face contorted with rage, turning and twisting with the hatred he felt for the knight. He snapped his fingers, ordering the guards to drag Sophie away. 

“That the Kingdom of Ericson won’t bend to wicked men!” Sophie yelled as she was pulled away. “I will die with pride knowing my king made the right call!” The throne doors slammed shut behind the prisoner, leaving an air of tension in the room. The princess glanced up at her father then back to the ground, her eyes shaking and her hands trembling from what had just happened.

\----

Louis couldn’t sleep. That was nothing new though. It had become his reality for three nights. It had become the reality for his closest allies ever since Renata had stumbled back into the kingdom shocked and terrified. Bringing with her a message that Sophie had been taken captive and would be held for four days and executed unless he signed a treaty with the king of Howes, either through marriage with his daughter Princess Sarah or by giving over Prisha who they had mistaken for a sorceress. He had struggled with the decision for days now. 

His advisor, Aasim, had reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. That he would work on a compromise with Prisha. But Louis didn’t like that plan. He knew how much it was weighing on his advisor to work on a plan that may result in giving his sister away. If they gave King Carlos Prisha, then what would he do? Would he find out that she was no master of witchcraft and kill her on the spot? Or would he simply burn her at the stake fearing her powers? Powers that didn’t exist. Any way Louis looked at it made his stomach turn and caused him to feel deathly ill. He knew what he had to do.

Louis sat on his throne, twirling the crown between his hands. Sometimes he wondered if he was fit to rule. Situations like these made him question it deep within his soul. He knew what he had to do. He would ride out in the morning unannounced to anyone and go to the Kingdom of Howes. There he would offer his hand in marriage to the princess, signing away his kingdom to an unfair treaty. Louis’ eyes wandered out over the darkened streets of his kingdom. There was no other way to go about it. He refused to sacrifice a dear friend whether it be the knight or the alchemist. He would wed the princess and bring back food that his people so desperately needed. There was no more time to venture out and find other kingdoms to treaty with.

He knew that and yet his heart ached. For his heart belonged to another. Even if they couldn’t be together now or possibly ever. His heart beat for Clementine, a girl who came nearly a year ago to his kingdom along with her brother, lost and afraid. Someone who had grown to be a trusted friend and ally, always there to walk beside him. One who had become a knight who helped protect the people of Ericson. But it was not meant to be. It never was; it seemed as though fate had other plans for the young king. 

A soft knock on the throne room doors drew the king’s attention away from the streets. Slowly the door opened and revealed his childhood friend Marlon. The Knight Commander strolled forward with a bowl in his hand. 

“Good evening, your Highness,” Marlon spoke, a playful smile on his face. Louis let out a short laugh.

“You know I hate when you call me that.” Louis rose up from his throne and placed the crown back on his head.

“Sorry,” Marlon flashed an apologetic smile as he met the king halfway. “Brought you some food. Omar said you skipped dinner again.” The commander stretched out his hand that held the stew. A wooden spoon slid across the surface of the bowl. Louis stared at the stew for a minute, his mind debating on whether or not to take the food. 

“I’m good,” Louis mumbled, turning his head away.

“Well, that’s not true.” Marlon grabbed Louis’ hand and placed the bowl in it. “You gotta eat. I’m worried about you,” Marlon laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. “If that isn’t enough motivation, think of your people. They need a ruler who is in the best of shape.”

Louis’ eyes widened before his face fell. His eyes became covered by his dreadlocks. “Some king I am,” Louis set down the bowl of stew on the arm of the throne and sat down next to it, letting his head fall into his hands. 

“I’m guessing you couldn’t sleep again?” Marlon stood beside his king, a worried expression on his face.

“No, I don’t think I deserve it after what I let happen.” Louis whispered. 

Marlon’s brows furrowed at his friend’s statement. “That’s bullshit. I don’t blame you for what happened. None of us do. I know Sophie doesn’t.” Marlon's voice wavered on the knight’s name, causing the young king to glance up at his childhood friend. He could see the sadness in his eyes. He couldn't blame him. Ever since Sophie had joined the knights, she and Marlon had been close. But the night when Renata had brought back the news, a new piece of information came to light. Marlon - unable to sleep - had gone to Louis and confessed that he had fallen for the lively redheaded knight. He had planned to let her know of his feelings as soon as she returned and now she was captured. Her life could be forfeit if Louis didn’t bend to King Carlos’ demands. 

“You should,” Louis’ voice was rough and dry, tears pricking at his eyes as the guilt swelled inside his heart. He tried to force them down when he felt Marlon’s hand on his shoulder. The young king looked up and felt tears slide down his face. His body shook with the weight of his emotions. Marlon stood there, a comforting presence as Louis cried. After a few minutes Louis rose up, straightening his back as he readjusted his crown. “I've made up my mind. I’ll make things right.”

Marlon studied his friend’s face. “What are you planning to do?”   
Before Louis could even hope of coming up with a lie, the doors to his throne room were thrown open. Minnie strode forward into the throne room, a man with the royal color of the kingdom of Howes behind her. 

“Your Highness,” Minnie stopped and gestured to the man beside her. “King Carlos has sent a messenger.” 

Louis looked at the messenger then back to the knight. He wanted to tell her that she could leave but considering that her sister was the one taken it would be wiser to remain silent in that department. “Thank you, Minnie.”

Minnie gave a small smile over at Louis then stood to the side to let the man speak.

“Many pardons King Louis for the early intrusion, but I come bearing news.” The man gave a deep bow.

“It’s not trouble at all,” Louis gave a warm smile. “What is your name?”

The man looked up, shocked by the simple kindness. “Reggie.”

“Well then, Reggie, share your message.”

Reggie’s eyes darted around the room, his body language making it clear how nervous he was. “King Carlos says he grows tired of waiting. He demands an answer by dawn or else he will go forward with the execution of your knight.”

Louis’ eyes grew large as he looked over at Marlon who stood frozen in place at the news. It was as if he couldn’t comprehend the message. 

“Dawn comes in only an hour,” Minnie’s harsh tone caused the king to glanced over at his trusted knight whose face was twisted in fear and anger. “It takes longer than that to ride to your kingdom! Your king has set us up!”

“I-I…” The messenger tried to speak up but was too frightened. 

“Minnie,” Louis rose to his feet but the knight was already storming out of the room. Her sword and crossbow clinked against her armor as she disappeared from the throne room. 

Minnie couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Sophie was to be executed at dawn. Less than an hour from now her sister would be dead. The knight sprinted down the hallways, exiting the castle and making her way towards the stable. She could feel her heart tightening and aching as her mind spun with the news. She couldn’t lose Sophie. She would ride to the Kingdom of Howes and free her sister. If she was already dead though….. Minnie shook her head, tossing aside the ever-growing fear. She couldn’t allow thought like that. All she needed to focus on was getting on her horse and riding to her destination as quickly as she could. Moving towards the stables, she grabbed the saddle and reins and placed them on her dark grey horse. 

“I’m sorry for waking you up so early, Nightshade,” Minnie tried to force a smile as she apologized to her horse but she felt too worried. When she had finished up the preparation she guided Nightshade out only to stop when she heard a familiar voice.

“Minnie,” Renata’s usual cheery voice sounded sadder as she looked at her lover. 

Minnie glanced back at the court jester who stood unsure why Minnie was about to ride off. “What are you doing?”

“Sophie is set to be executed at dawn,” Minnie could feel bile in the back of her throat. Her own words seemed to shake her to her very core. 

“What?” Renata’s eyes widened in fear, her lips trembling at the news. “But the king said we had four days! That’s the message he told me to bring back. I swear that’s what he told me.”

Minnie remained quiet, her back stiff and her anger palpable.

Renata’s eyes looked up at the sky that was starting to turn a light orange. “That can’t be true. It’s already dawn.”

“I know, Ren! You don’t think I know that!” Minnie snapped, spinning around and glaring at her lover. Her eyes immediately softened; a seed of guilt grew in her stomach at her harsh tone. Minnie could feel her eyes sting as tears slipped down her face. “Shit, Ren. I didn’t mean…”

“No,” Renata gave a forced smile. “It’s my fault after all. Sophie was taken because of me.”

“That’s not true,” Minnie walked forward and held both of Renata’s shoulders. “It’s that bastard king.” Minnie hissed. “Using you and Sophie as pawns in his twisted games,” Her grip tightened as her body shook with anger. 

“Min,” Renata reached to touch Minnie’s face but before she could Minnie pulled back and turned her face away. 

“I’ll make him pay,” Minnie’s voice was thick with rage. “I swear it.” Without another word she got on her horse and guided it forward only to be stopped by the kingdom’s advisor.

“You won’t leave, “Aasim’s voice was calm yet firm as he stood in the way of the knight.

“Aasim, move aside,” Minnie shot out her arm.

“No, you’re too emotional about this. My sister and I will ride to the Kingdom of Howes along with Clementine as our knight. We’ve made our decision.”

“That’s right,” Prisha walked forward, her alchemist robes blowing in the wind, reaching into her hood and brushing at a few loose strands of her hair. “I will go as our ‘sorceress’.” 

Aasim’s face grew sad at those words but he quickly pushed aside his emotions and helped Prisha up onto her horse. 

“Like hell I’m staying here while Sophie may be executed!” Minnie yelled. Her eyebrows furrowed in anger as she moved forward and passed the alchemist and advisor. Only to be stopped when Clementine rode forward and blocked the way with her horse.

“Don’t be rash. I know I would be no different in your position, but you need to trust in us,” Clementine’s commanding presence made Minnie stop for a moment. 

“All of you, stop!” Louis walked forward. His royal robes blew in the wind, causing his cape to swirl in the air for a moment. “We have no time for arguing. I will go talk with the king and tell him I accept the offer to marry his daughter. I pray that Sophie still lives.”

Clementine looked down at the ground at those words, a somber expression on her face.

“If she’s still alive,” Minnie let Nightshade trot in place while she looked down at her king. “And if she’s dead? What then?”

Louis looked shocked by the question. A heartbroken expression took over his features as he looked at the ground, his eyes covered once again by his dreadlocks. “I’m not sure.”

The group stood there in silence, letting their king’s words sink in. Minnie could feel her heart twisting once again. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to get to Sophie before it was too late.

\------

Sophie sat in her cell, a mixture of fear and somberness battling in her eyes. There was no way out of this. She had a little less than an hour before she would be brought out in front of the citizens of Howes. Made an example to all those before her and a deadly blow to be delivered to the Kingdom of Ericson. She couldn’t even imagine how worried the others must be right now. How much Tenn and Minnie were panicking. She placed her face head down on her knees, letting her emotions sink in and overwhelm her. 

All of a sudden her cell door swung open. Scrambling to her feet, the knight looked to see the same two guards standing before her. She didn’t even have to ask why they were here. It seemed that King Carlos wasn’t taking any chances and would hold the execution right before dawn.“It’s time.” One of the guards spoke but the knight refused to look up. Without a word the two guards dragged her out of her cell and began the walk towards the central yard. Sophie glanced up through one of the dungeon windows, her eyes falling upon the executioner who waited to fulfill his duty. Only a few more steps now and all this would be over. Sophie felt a lump in her throat; she had put on a brave face but she was afraid to die. She continued to be dragged down the hallway when a soft voice appeared behind them.

“Excuse me,”

The guards stopped, making Sophie stumble and look behind her to see the princess standing right there.

“What is it, Princess?”

“The… the king has ordered that you two report to the throne room at once!” Her voice was small and scared but she tried to look authoritative. Sophie looked on in confusion, unsure what was happening. 

“We can’t just leave the prisoner,” The guard motioned to Sophie.

“U-unless you want to make the king unhappy, you’ll do as he says!” The princess was shaking, her hands trembling. “Or should I remind you what happened last time someone refused my father’s orders?”

That made the guards look incredibly anxious. Both immediately sprinted off to get to the throne room. The princess let out a shaky breath and moved forward, offering Sophie a hand.

Sophie hesitantly accepted it. 

“I’m Sarah. What’s your name?”

“Sophie, knight of Ericson.”

“Oh, I’m the princess.”   
“Yes,” Sophie gave a short smile. “I recognized you.” She paused for a second, not sure whether or not to ask the question. “Why did you call the guards away?”

“Because it’s not fair. My father is being mean. I get that he’s mad, but even when I get really mad I still don’t want to hurt anyone.” The corners of Sarah’s lips turned down in a frown. “He’s going too far. So that’s why I helped you.”

“Thank you,” Sophie smiled at the princess. Sarah returned the smile then started to walk forward. “Come on, you can hide in my room until this whole thing gets figured out.”

“Alright,” Sophie followed the princess’ lead, cautiously walking the hallways of the castle. Sarah spoke up again just as they were passing a few sets of armor on display. “The castle is really lonely. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember.” Sarah’s voice was loud, making Sophie flinch as her eyes darted around the room.

“Maybe we should whisper,” Sophie suggested.

“Oh yeah, sorry,” Sarah whispered back. “I just… I’ve wanted a friend for so long. Could you be my friend?”

Sophie looked surprised at the question before a warm smile appeared on her lips. “Sure, it's always nice to have a friend.”

“Really?’ Sarahs’ eyes grew large. “Let’s pinky swear on it.” She stopped in her tracks and raised up her pinky. Sophie glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before raising up her hands. The princess seemed surprised by the chains still on the knight’s hands as they interlocked pinkies. 

“Oh, I wish I had keys. Then I could help you.”

“Maybe you still can,” Sophie motioned her head over to an axe that a suit of amour was holding. “Help me cut them off.”

“What?” Sarah looked nervous at the suggestion.

“Please,” Sophie looked at the princess. “I swear I won’t hurt you.” Her eyes shone with sincerity.

“Okay,” Sarah struggled to get the axe, accidentally letting it hit the floor which caused Sophie to flinch for a moment. Once it was clear that no guards were coming Sophie held out her arms to extend the chain. With all of her might, Sarah lifted up the axe and let it swing down. The chain broke with a loud clang followed by the thunk of the axe embedding into the floor. 

“Thanks,” Sophie shook her hands and smiled at the broken chain. 

Sarah was about to speak up again when the sound of the kingdom’s bells ran out. The two girls looked at each other before moving towards the windows which looked out at the kingdom. Sophie’s eyes grew large when she noticed the swarm of walkers crowding the streets. The kingdom was becoming overrun. Small fires broke out left and right and the citizens were in a panic. She looked over and saw the absolute terror in Sarah’s eyes. Sophie strode over and pulled the axe out of the ground.

“Where are my weapons and armor?”

Sarah looked over at Sophie who had an iron grip on the axe.

“T-the armory.”

“Show me.”

\-----

“You’re not sure?” Minnie looked down at her king. “We don’t have time for this. I don’t care what punishments I receive - I’m leaving for Howes.”

Before Louis could speak up a guard ran forward, out of breath and with shaky legs. “Your Highness,” he bowed. “The kingdom of Howes. It’s up in flames.”

“What?” Aasim looked alarmed by the news. 

“They look to be in trouble. It is utter chaos there.”

“Gather the knights right away,” Louis commanded “As well as Ruby and Mitch!” 

The guard nodded and sprinted off in search of the people.

Minnie was in shock, unable to process what was happening when Nightshade became restless. “Whoa there, Nightshade,” She gave her horse some pats while they waited for the others to arrive. It wasn't long before everyone was there standing by their king.

“It seems the Kingdom of Howes may be in danger. Marlon, I want you to lead the knights in to rescue Sophie. I will be riding with you.”

Everyone looked surprised by that. Not that it was out of character for the king of Ericson, but that it was certainly reckless.

“I’d advise against that, Louis,” Aasim moved forward. “We can’t risk losing our king in the condition the kingdom is in.”

“But-” Louis started but was cut off again.

“It would be wiser to have some people stay back.” Prisha added.

Louis thought deeply about his friends’ words and reluctantly nodded. “Alright. Ruby, set up an area to receive wounded. Who knows what condition the citizens may be in. We’ll send another group with carts to try and bring back any wounded citizens. But as for you,” He looked at the knights, “Prioritize rescuing Sophie and anyone else you can.”

The knights nodded and started to prepare to ride. Brody was readjusting the saddle on Alora. The chestnut horse neighed and scuffed her hooves restlessly. “I know, I’m nervous too.” Brody assured.

“Brody,” Mitch’s voice appeared behind her, causing the knight to glance back at the blacksmith. “I made you a new shield to help keep you safe.” He offered a silver shield; the crest of Ericson stood proudly on it. Brody accepted it with a smile and placed it on her back. The shield covered the majority of it. 

“Thanks, Mitch.” Brody smiled over at Mitch who became a bit flustered. 

“Just don’t die.”

“I won’t.” Brody leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Mitch’s cheek before getting up on her horse and readjusting her armor. “I’ll be back.”

Mitch smiled up at Brody. “You better.”

Brody waved one last time then moved forward to where the knights were meeting up.

Clementine was busy double checking the sharpness of her blade when she noticed Louis making his way over.

“Your Highness, come to say goodbye?”

“Clem, you can call me Louis if you want.”

“I know,”

“I pray you return back safely. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.” Louis paused for a moment. “Or any of the other knights!” he added hastily. Louis scratched the back of his head. “Just remember you have armor for a reason. It’s to protect you, so just make sure you remember that when you ride into battle. Armor is a knight’s best friend.”

Clementine gave a soft chuckle as she smiled over at her king. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good,” Louis smiled over at Clementine, locking eyes with her then glancing away. He wasn’t sure what else to say. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice that Clem was hugging him until her arms were already wrapped around him. Louis stiffened in shock but quickly returned the hug.

“We’ll bring Sophie back and any others we may find,” Clementine pulled back and gave Louis one last smile before getting on her horse and joining the others. 

Minnie could feel her nerves rising. The fear and anxiety within her heart spun around as she allowed herself to give into her thoughts. What if they arrived and Sophie was dead? What if she had turned? She couldn’t allow that to be a reality. But what if that was out of her reach?

“Min,” Renata’s warm voice pulled the knight out of her thoughts as she looked down at her. “Be careful.” She took Minnie’s hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Minnie looked in Renata’s eyes and saw the worry in them.

“I will. I promise.” 

A relieved smile appeared on Renata’s lips before she got up on her tiptoes and gave Minnie a quick kiss. Minnie leaned into it for a second then pulled away, resting her forehead against Renata’s. “I swear I will be back. I’ll bring Sophie home.” Minnie took a step back and jumped up onto her horse. “I’ll slay man and beast alike that get in my way!” With that she was off, joining Brody and Clementine who were already ready to go.

“Orion, stay still,” Violet grumbled as she secured the saddle in place. The knight went around the horse, double checking to make sure everything was alright when she saw Prisha standing beside her. “Here to see me off?” Violet gave a small smile over to the alchemist.

“Yes,” Prisha took a step forward and stopped before Violet. Her eyes held her worries yet she smiled down at the knight anyway. “I was hoping I wouldn’t need to have to test these so soon but...” Prisha held out a few small bottles and handed them over to Violet. “These are alchemic flames set to burst wherever you toss them. “ 

Violet looked at the bottles with awe, gingerly placing them away in her pouch before looking back at the alchemist. “Thanks.”   
“Just be safe,” Prisha gently took both of Violet’s hands in her own.

“Always,” Violet looked into Prisha’s eyes.

Prisha smiled and slowly lifted up Violet’s hands, placing a kiss on them. “I pray those alchemic fires work.”

“They will,” Violet gave Prisha’s hand a firm squeeze then turned and got onto her horse. Taking her helmet, she placed it on then guided Orion over to where the other knights waited. 

Marlon was giving Rosie some goodbye pats, hoping it would calm his heart. He was so nervous but he couldn’t let it muddle his focus. “Yeah, you like that, Rosie?” The pitbull barked in appreciation. Marlon gave a short chuckle. “Just keep watch while I’m gone. Protect them.” He looked up and saw Louis making his way over. “Especially Louis.” Rosie barked again, wagging her stub tail happily.

“Hey, I’m a pretty capable guy!” Louis declared with his hands on his hips.

Marlon laughed. “Yeah, I know. Just wanna be sure everyone back here is safe while we’re gone.”

“We will be. Just make sure you make it back. Safe and alive.”

“Safe and alive.” Marlon moved forward and wrapped Louis in a tight hug. “I’ll make sure everyone comes back.”

“I know,” Louis pulled back. Marlon smiled one last time at his friend and gave a final wave. 

“Let’s go, Oblivion,” Marlon instructed his steed who snorted and followed his directions. Making his way towards the other knights he stopped in front of them. “Today we ride for Sophie and for the innocent citizens of the Kingdom of Howes.” Marlon drew his sword and held it in the air. “We ride for king and country!” 

“For king and country!” the other knights cheered as they drew their blades. Oblivion whinnied and rose up on his back legs before turning and galloping down the street towards the open gates. The rest of the knights followed close behind.

Louis watched as his friends rode forward, cutting down the living dead and stomping them underfoot as they made their way to a kingdom torn with flames and a fellow knight that may have already been lost. As the young king watched the knights disappear behind the closed gates, he prayed with all his might that they would be successful. 


	3. Great Halls Bloodied and Lost Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knights of Ericson ride into the Kingdom of Howes in hopes of saving civilians and their fellow knight.

Sophie and Sarah walked in tense silence. The knight walked along the princess’ side, her eyes darting left and right for any walkers that may already be in the castle. The grip on her axe remained tight as she prayed that the living dead hadn’t made it up this far in the castle.

“There it is,” Sarah’s voice wavered as she pointed a shaky finger towards a set of twin wooden doors. 

“Stay behind me,” Sophie whispered to the princess who immediately followed the knight’s instructions. Her hands gripped onto the fabric on the back of Sophie’s shirt. Gingerly the knight reached her free hand towards the door and pushed it open. The wooden door creaked and groaned as it revealed the contents of the room. A ray of light pierced through the darkness of the armory and revealed shields lining the walls and sets of armor at the ready for any knight or guard.

As Sophie pushed open the second door more light filled the room and showed different weaponry: axes laid against the wall and swords were proudly displayed in a designated corner of the room. The young knight’s eyes scanned the limited areas that the light illuminated. So far there seemed to be no living dead in this room. It wasn’t until she fully pushed back a door that an unearthly groan emitted from behind one of the doors. Sophie took a step back and motioned for Sarah to do the same. 

Once the princess had taken a few steps back the knight positioned herself into a defensive stance in case she needed to strike. A walker appeared from the shadows. Its milky white eyes stared blankly at the pair of humans as it shuffled forward. Fresh blood dripped from its mouth, the decaying arms reaching towards its potential next meal as its flimsy legs dragged forward. Sophie dashed forward and with a mighty swing connected with the walker’s gut and embedded the axe into the door, trapping the walker there. 

“Your Highness, I need you to grab me a sword.” 

“W-what?” Sarah looked at the knight with frightened eyes. “B-but-”

“Please,” Sophie glanced back at the princess who hesitated for a moment then ran forward and grabbed the first sword she could see, tossing it towards Sophie. The knight grabbed it and slashed through the walker’s head. The walker’s body went limp as its lifeblood stained the door. Sophie tugged the axe to try and break it free but it was no use. 

“We need to prepare,” Sophie strolled into the room, her eyes scanning the area until they fell upon her armor. “Who knows how many more of the living dead have slipped into the castle.” As she reached for her armor she noticed a corpse in the corner where the walker had appeared from. Its guts were sprawled across the floor and most of its torso had been eaten. 

“Okay,” Sarah whispered; her right hand desperately clung onto her lower left arm. Her eyes were fixated on the floor.

Sophie glanced at the princess then back at the corpse. They needed to hurry before that became their ending. “Will you help me put this on?” Sophie raised up pieces of her armor.

Sarah glanced up and gave a nod. “Sure,” She grabbed the armor, her hands nearly dropping it. “I didn’t know armor was this heavy.”

“It does take some getting used to,” Sophie replied as the princess helped slide the chainmail over the knight’s form. Sophie began to instruct the princess on how to place the armor. Once that was complete the knight moved to the swords in search of her own blade. There were plenty of fine blades there but all were useless in her eyes.

Her sword was special, holding one of the melted twin pendants that she and Minnie received from their parents before the world had fallen to the living dead. It took her a minute to rummage through all of the swords but when she found her blade her eyes lit up with recognition. She held up the sword in front of her face, leaning her head against the blade as she let out a sigh of relief before placing it in its sheath. Once that was complete she grabbed another sword for the princess.

“Here you go,” She handed over a light sword, one she figured even a novice could handle. Based on how the princess held the weapon the knight knew her hunch had been right. “Never held a blade before?”

“No, my father didn’t want me to learn.” Sarah whispered. “And I hate violence.”

“Then I apologize in advance for what I’m going to ask you to do. We must escape this castle and seek shelter. Help any others we find along the way. We will run into walkers and I’m going to need you to fight alongside me.”

Sarah looked up with large frightful eyes but nodded her head. Her sword shook due to her trembling hands. Sophie stared at it for a moment then turned to exit the room.

“We need to leave.”

“Okay,” Sarah mumbled and followed the knight’s lead. 

Sophie walked through the empty halls of the castle with cautious steps. One wrong step, one missed movement could cost her life or Sarah’s. 

“You seemed to care about your sword.” Sarah’s voice drew the knight’s attention for a second before she focused back on scanning the area.

“It has a lot of significance to me.It holds a memento of my parents.”

“Oh, that makes sense. I have a ton of things my father has given to me over the years. I’m sure your parents are glad that you care about it so much.”

“My parents are no longer of this world,” Sophie felt her throat tighten at the memory and the pain that was brought with it.

“Oh,” Sarah looked down at the ground. “Sorry.”  
“It’s alright.” Sophie smiled back at the princess. “I’m just glad I was able to still be able to hold onto a piece of them. To honor their memory and sacrifice.”

Something about the knight’s statement made the princess stop in her tracks. Her eyes held a deep level of fear to them as they widened with realization. “My father. We need to see if he’s okay!”

Sophie stopped in her tracks. Her hand upon the hilt of her blade in case any walkers were near. “Your Highness, I-”

“My name is Sarah. And I need to find him. He’s all I have!” 

Sophie studied the princess’ eyes then gave a sigh. “Alright, where do you suppose he is?”

“The throne room. It’s just down the hall and towards the right.” Sarah ran forward, having seemingly forgotten of the dangers that lurked around every corner. 

“Sarah, wait!” Sophie called out and sprinted ahead. Her hand gripped the princess’ shoulder. “We need to be smart about this. Not draw any of the walkers near us.”

“Oh, right,” Sarah nodded and soon resumed her place beside the knight. The two walked in silence. “So, what made you decide to be a knight?” The princess’ question made Sophie glance over her way. She was a bit odd to bring up a casual conversation when the situation was so dire. But it wasn’t something Sophie was not used to. The Kingdom of Ericson had its fair share of unique people. 

“I want to protect the innocent. Protect my family and the kingdom. Every time when the knights rode through the gates of the kingdom, I would run and drag my twin along to see them. Minnie and I both were so awestruck by it all.” Sophie had a bright, warm smile on her face. “The day I swore to knighthood was the best of my life. I strive to be the best knight I can be and ever since the world has fallen I plan to protect the innocent and those I care for until my dying breath.”

“I wish I had a dream like that,” Sarah looked over at the knight with awe.

“You will one day. You just need to find it,” Sophie smiled over at the princess when all of a sudden she felt a deep, sharp pain in her upper back. It only took a second to realize what was happening. Spinning around, the knight noticed a man with greasy, short brown hair. His facial hair was no less greasy. He stumbled back, a bloody dagger in his hand. 

“Tough one aren’t ya, girlie,” The man gave a twisted smile. 

Sophie immediately drew her blade and stood in front of Sarah. The wound on her back stung with pain; she could feel the blood beginning to trickle down her back. To think that this man had gotten in a lucky hit in a less guarded area of her armor.... she needed to tread carefully.

“There is no need for bloodshed,” Sophie had a calm voice. “Our focus should be on our shared enemy. Not each other.”

“I don’t care about that,” The man held out his dagger. “All I care for is the throne.”

Sophie’s eyebrows furrowed at that statement. Was this man planning to overthrow the king? She glanced back at Sarah who hid behind a set of armor. Or did he simply mean that his loyalty only lay with the king? Before she could think of it any further the man dashed forward, a crazed look in his eyes as he slashed the dagger towards her. 

Sophie blocked an attack and parried another before adding her own to the mix. The sound of metal clashing rang throughout the halls, giving away their location to any roaming walkers nearby. Sophie kept up with the man’s attacks until he landed another one, piercing through her armor and cutting her side. Sophie let out a sharp hiss and grabbed the man with her free hand before headbutting him. The man let out a groan and was about to attack again when Sophie’s sword sliced through the air and cut through the man’s thumb. The thumb fell to the ground in a pool of blood soon followed by the dagger. The man slid back and ran into the shadows. 

“Is he gone?” Sarah poked her head out from her hiding spot.

“Yes,” Sophie sheathed her sword only for another wave of pain to shoot through her side. 

“Y-you’re bleeding. We need to get you help.”

“I’m fine. Let’s focus on finding your father and securing a safe location,” Sophie moved forward, ignoring the princess’ pleas. After a few minutes they came across the doors to the throne room and with their joint effort the pair opened the door revealing bodies sprawled out throughout the room. Puddles of blood stained the floor as guts decorated the walls and curtains of the room. Sophie cautiously made her way forward. She could feel Sarah clinging onto her red cape as they walked inside.

Sophie’s eyes fell upon the throne where a shadowy figure sat. A plate lay on the table beside it. Half-eaten chicken and bread were still on the plate as well as a glass filled with a deep red liquid. A light glimmer shone on the top of the figure’s head. 

“Father?” Sarah moved forward, her eyes hopeful. “Oh, father! I’m so glad you’re okay!” She ran forward towards the figure. The figure slowly got up from the throne, making the hairs on Sophie’s arms stand on end. 

“Your Highness!” Sophie’s hand had a vice grip on the princess’ shoulder. She threw her back before drawing her blade. As the figure moved forward towards the light it became clear what it really was. The decaying form of King Carlos stumbled forward, a low gurgling groan escaping his lips as he reached out. White foam dripped down his lips and hit the spot on his royal robes where a wine stain stood.

Sophie could feel herself being drawn back to a memory of old, one she never wished to re-experience. Shaking herself out of it, the knight’s eyes hardened and with a harsh slash she cut the king’s head in two. His corpse fell to the ground, lifeless and bloody. Sophie let out a sigh of relief before remembering that she was not alone. She looked back at Sarah, her heart dropping when she realized that she had just helped the princess witness her father’s death. 

Sarah stumbled forward for a moment then fell to her knees. A loud, painful, gut-wrenching cry escaped her lips.

“Father! Father, no!” Sarah clutched the sides of her head and screamed. Tears spilled out of her eyes and stained her face as she wailed in agony. Sophie stood in silence, unsure what to do. It seemed that fate would not let her decide as two crumpled forms rose up, drawn to the noises of grief. Sophie drew her sword once again and stood in front of the princess. Every walker would be drawn their way. She wouldn’t dare take away from the princess’ time to grieve but she also knew they needed to escape before they were overrun. She just prayed that she would find a way through this. An unearthly groan filled the hallway, the sounds of dragging feet becoming louder with each second. 

\-----

Minnie rode desperately forward along with her fellow knights. Her sword cut through the living dead and splattered the ground with rotten blood. Nightshade’s hooves cracked open any walker heads that stood in her way as she made her way to the Kingdom of Howes. She needed to get to Sophie before it was too late. Who knew if it already was. Would she make it through the gates saving the citizens and guards alike only to find her twin dead or turned?

“We’re nearly there,” Marlon called out from the front as he slashed through another walker. The rest of the knights were making quick work of whatever obstacles stood in their way as they made their way through a broken gate. The five knights sliced through the walkers that blocked the entrance. Marlon’s face twisted with anger as he sliced a walker’s head clean in half. The knights watched in horror at the sight before them. 

Walkers were devouring corpses of citizens and young children and teens stumbled forward, their walker forms groaning as they struggled to find their next meal. Minnie was in the midst of killing one of the living dead when she saw a young boy running away from a nearby walker. Cursing under her breath she sheathed her blade and drew her crossbow, sending a bolt right in between the walker’s eyes. Snatching up the child, she held him close to her chest as she continued to follow her commander who led the knights to the central courtyard. The courtyard was covered with knights and guards fighting off the overwhelming swarm of walkers. The guards looked towards the knights that rode into the courtyard, their eyes filled with fear.

“I am Marlon, Commander of the Knights of Ericson! We mean no harm. We’ve come to help.” Marlon’s words seemed to give the guards some temporary hope as they continued to fight. “We’ll make this central courtyard a safe zone for the carts coming in to bring back the wounded. Go and save any citizens you can.” Marlon turned back to his fellow knights. “Once it’s been established then we may look for Sophie.”

The knights immediately set out to save the innocent. Minnie placed the young boy in a corner free of walkers then proceeded to clear out more of the courtyard along with the help of Clementine. Clementine sliced through the walkers with ease, she and her horse working in seamless teamwork. Minnie stood guard around the citizens that were being brought back one by one. The knight loaded her crossbow and took out any walker that may have slipped past the others’ attention. 

\----

Marlon meanwhile worked side by side with the knights and guards of Howes, saving them and instructing them to guard the citizens before galloping off to clear another section. His eyes quivered with horror as he heard cries coming from inside a burning building down one of the streets. Jumping off Oblivion, Marlon kicked down the door and jumped into the flames. Cloaking his face with his cape to stop the smoke from overwhelming his lungs, he searched high and low for the people inside the house. After a minute, his eyes caught sight of three children huddled in a corner that was steadily becoming engulfed by fire. Moving through the flames, he stood before them and knelt down.

“Hi there, I’m here to help. I’m gonna need you three to be brave and hold on tight, alright?” He gave a soft, reassuring smile to the three kids who nodded hesitantly. Hoisting the three into his arms he sprinted forward, shielding the young ones from the flames with his body as he blindly made his way out of the burning building. Once he had successfully done so he helped them up onto Oblivion and started to guide them back to the central courtyard. The Commander of the knights made sure none of the living dead got near the children as he got them back to the safe zone.

Helping them down from his horse, he looked around and saw that Minnie and Clementine were doing well to sustain a safe zone within the courtyard. The knights and guards of Howes that were still alive were also doing well working to put out the fires and guard the citizens that were brought back. He searched around but didn’t spot Brody or Violet. He prayed that they were safe. 

\------

Violet guided Orion towards a street in hopes that she would find more living than dead there and wouldn’t have to put down another one of the turned citizens. Each time her blade tasted the blood of a teen who had been turned it made her heart twist in agony. She had already put down more today than she ever wished to again. As Orion’s hooves clicked against the stone-covered road she noticed out of the corner of her eye a young child no older than five on the ground, her eyes wet with tears and her black hair plastered against her face due to them.

A low groan signaled the presence of a walker. Without hesitation Violet galloped forward as the walker swayed toward the child. Putting herself in between the child and the walker, her sword pierced the walker’s skull. With a mighty kick she pushed off the corpse only to reveal a whole street swarming with walkers. Cursing frantically, Violet grabbed the child and placed her in front of her on Orion. The child cried as Violet guided Orion backwards before reaching into her pouch for the alchemic fire her lover had gifted her. Gingerly taking out the glass bottle filled with a greenish fluid, she tossed it towards the horde of the living dead.

The bottle cracked against the skull of a walker three rows behind and brought forth a sea of flames. The green flames consumed the majority of the walkers, causing an ungodly smell of rotten burnt flesh to fill the air as the skin and muscle melted off of them. Soon the majority of the walkers lay on the ground a pile of crackling bones, blocking passage for the others. Violet turned and rode away. Once she was a safe distance, she took off her helmet and looked down at the child. 

“It’s going to be alright,” Violet’s soft voice and gentle smile seemed to calm down the young girl who looked up at her with big eyes and nodded. “You hold on tight. I’ll keep you safe.” Once the knight saw the child’s hands grip onto Orion’s mane she placed her helmet back on and galloped to the central courtyard. When she arrived she lifted the child down and was about to ride off again when she felt the child hold onto her gauntlet. Violet looked down at the child and saw the fear still prominent in her eyes. “I need to help others. I’ll be back.”

The child studied the knight’s face for a minute then nodded solemnly, her weak grip slipping away from Violet’s gauntlet. Violet glanced back for a second then rode off once more. 

\-----

Brody had just finished clearing a street only to be met with more walkers. They were everywhere. Even with all of their combined strength the most the Knights of Ericson could hope to accomplish today was saving as many lives as they could. Though even that seemed like a steep task. Many citizens were already lost to the walkers but that wouldn’t stop Brody from finding all those that she could save. 

As she moved through the streets, she heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the street across from her. The auburn knight’s eyes grew large when they noticed a young woman struggling to get away from a walker. Clicking her heels against her horse Brody galloped forward, reaching the lady just as the walker’s arms clung onto her. Grabbing her shield, Body slammed it against the walker’s form, making it crumble to the ground. Sliding off her horse, she lifted up her shield and brought the end of it crashing down against the walker’s skull. The skull cracked under the weight of the knight’s power, causing blood and brain matter to coat the shield, but she didn’t care. “Are you alright, miss?” She looked to the lady who gave a shaky nod.

“Bless you,” she whispered as Brody got back onto Alora and helped the lady up to the spot behind her. 

“Think nothing of it,” Brody smiled back and rode forward towards the safety zone. There were still so many streets to check. There was no way they could clear them all. Brody knew that but it wouldn’t stop her from trying. She was going to protect all the citizens that she could. With that thought burning in her heart, she rode down another street and cut down more walkers who were nearing people. 

\-----

Clementine could feel her arms growing sore as she embedded her blade into another walker. It was her job to maintain this safe zone and her duty to protect the innocent. Her hazel eyes glanced back at the safe zone her commander had set up. There were a fair number of people there, more than she thought but still less than what her heart wanted to see. Her eyes caught sight of the spots of red scattered throughout the crowd. There were a lot of injured people; hopefully the carts showed up soon. Clementine turned her attention back onto the walkers that were slipping through the streets and into the central square. She would slay every last one of them until the carts arrived. With that thought burning in mind and her heart set aflame she galloped forward, slicing through two walkers with ease. One by one they fell by her blade or that of her comrades when all of the sudden she heard a voice call out.

“Knight! Please help!” a guard cried out from one of the streets. His hands were gripping onto a wooden beam along with other guards’ as they struggled to lift it. A middle-aged man was stuck underneath it and seemed to be in intense pain. 

Riding over, the young knight jumped to the ground and tightened her grip around the beam. 

“On three,” Clemetnien instructed. ”One…. Two….. three!” The guards and Clementine pulled up with all of their might, barely getting enough room for someone to grab the man and get him out safely. Once he was out the beam was dropped and the knight glanced over only for her eyes to widen at the frightening sight. The man lay there, tired and drained, his face contorting from the unimaginable pain he was experiencing. Clementine couldn't blame him. She couldn’t imagine the excruciating pain of having nearly half your body burned so deeply. The man’s clothes were destroyed. Any metal that was on his right side of his body was now melted and merged with it. The guards kneeled down to begin to move him.

“Hold it!” Clementine’s commanding voice made them freeze. “Don’t move him. It could cause too much damage if we move him so freely. Stand by and guard him until given further instruction.”

The guards nodded and resumed their posts. With that Clementine got back on her horse. “Come on, Karma. Just a bit more, girl,” Clementine gave her horse some much-needed pats before moving back to the safe zone to report. Marlon stood there, talking to some of Howes knights as he reassured the citizens.

“Marlon,” Clementine’s voice caused the Commander of Knights to pause his conversation and look up. “When are the carts to arrive?”

“Any minute now,” Marlon replied simply. “As soon as they do, they’ll load up and move out. There are far too many walkers to save this kingdom.”  
Clementine looked somber at the news even though she’d already figured it to be true. “When they do, let them know a man over there is severely injured and will need to be handled with extreme care,” She motioned back over to the street she emerged from.

Marlon glanced over and gave a firm nod. “Of course,”

“Marlon,” Minnie rode forward and got off of Nightshade, tying the reins on a nearby makeshift post. “Now that we’ve established a strong safe zone, I’m leaving to find Sophie.”  
Marlon looked relieved at that statement, his shoulders relaxing before tightening again. The look in his eyes was more fearful though when he looked back at the red-headed knight. “Be safe. Caution is a knight’s wisest ally.”

“Of course,” Minnie gave a short smile to her two friends before sprinting off to the castle.

She could feel her heart racing as she disappeared through a shattered door into the castle. She hoped with all her heart that her sister was alive and well. If that weren’t the case, if she had ended up like those Minnie had lost in the past… Minnie shook herself out of her thoughts. They were no use to her right now. All that she needed to focus on was finding her twin. Finding Sophie and getting everyone back behind Ericon’s walls. 

Dismounting Nightshade and entering the castle, she cautiously walked down the hall and made her way to a staircase which held the option of proceeding to the higher levels of the castle or down to the dungeons. Logic dictated that Sophie would mostly likely be in the dungeons but for some reason Minnie’s gut said otherwise. There seemed to be the sound of fighting echoing through the castle. Based on the echoes, the sound was coming from the upper floors. It was a risk to go to a more unlikely location but Minnie felt it was right. With her decision made, the knight dashed up the stairs. 

She was quickly met by the living dead who groaned and turned their heads in response to her loud footsteps. Gritting her teeth, Minnie unsheathed her blade and sliced through the walkers. One by one they fell by her blade that consumed their blood. Her eyes burned with an unyielding fire, daring anyone to stand in her way. Soon she was upon the floor where the sounds of fighting were the loudest. Minnie took a deep breath and slowly walked forward, careful not to be reckless now that she was jumping into what was clearly a heated fight. Her blade stood in front of her when she noticed the throne room doors were open. 

When she looked inside, she felt her stomach drop to her feet. There standing in the center of the room was Sophie surrounded by walkers. A girl sat on the floor, an aura of defeat exuding from her as she did nothing to help the struggling knight. Sophie let out a cry as she jabbed a torch right into the face of a walker, pushing it just out of arm’s reach. With her other hand she slashed out her blade, tearing through another walker’s flesh with ease and causing the brain matter to splatter on the floor. Sophie grunted and winced for a moment when she pushed back the walker that her torch was upon. With a mighty swing she ended its shallow existence. 

“Sophie!” Minnie dashed forward and stabbed her sword right through a walker’s open mouth that had been mere inches away from Sophie’s neck. 

Sophie looked utterly shocked by her twin’s arrival. Her eyes grew large before softening and becoming watery. “Minnie! Am I glad to see you!” Sophie cut through a walker’s legs then embedded her blade into its skull. 

“Me too!” Minnie sliced through a walker’s hands then kicked it back before landing a deadly blow to another walker’s brain. “I… I was so worried,” Minnie’s voice was small and shaky. “I really thought that I might have lost you.”

“You, lose me?” Sophie cut through the last walker and sheathed her blade. “You never have to worry about that. I’ll always be by your side until the end.”

Minnie turned her face away for a moment as she tried to force back tears. Without a word she sheathed her sword and rushed forward, sweeping Sophie up in a deep, loving hug. Her hands kept tightening around her sister, worried that if she perhaps let go that she may never return. Sophie returned the hug and buried her face against her sister’s shoulder. The two sisters stood there for a moment, completely lost in the moment until Minnie reached up her hand and pressed against Sophie’s upper back, causing a small hiss to escape her lips. Minnie pulled back, fear in her eyes when she had heard the sound. 

“Sophie, are you…” Minnie held up her hand and noticed that it was slick with blood. “You’re injured!”  
“It’s nothing,” Sophie flashed a reassuring smile that disappeared when another shot of pain coursed through her body and her hand covered her side. 

Minnie’s eyes were large with concern as she strode forward. “We need to get you back to the kingdom at once. Ruby will patch you up.”

“It’s no big deal,” Sophie tried to convince her sister but it only seemed to anger her.

“That’s what Molly said and look where it got her!” Minnie’s statement made Sophie’s eyes grow sad. “Shit, I’m… I’m just worried, alright.”

“I know,” Sophie looked over at Sarah who had grown incredibly silent. “We need to help get the princess out of here too.” Sophie moved forward and knelt beside the girl, the knight’s hand pressed to her side as she looked at her. Gently she placed her other hand on the princess’ shoulder, causing her to flinch. 

“I know no words can fully heal what you’ve just experienced. But I’m sorry that your father is gone and that it was by my blade that he fell.” Sophie’s words seemed to cause the girl’s eyes to glance her way before falling once more. “We must leave. Perhaps one day we might bury him but for now the kingdom is overrun and we must go.”

Sarah shook her head and buried her face in her hands. Short, pained sobs escaped her lips. “I cannot leave my father.”

“Sophie,” Minnie called out from the doors. “We don’t have much of a window for time.”

Sophie nodded and resumed her conversation with the princess. “You must so that one day you may visit him again. Sarah, I know the world is cruel but when you have friends...” Sophie rose up to her feet, “It makes the burden lessen. I don’t want to lose my newest friend.” She held out her hand with a smile. “All I need for you to do is to hold my hand, alright?”

Sarah looked up at the hand then looked back at the ground. She remained silent for another moment then reached up and held onto the knight’s hand. Silently the trio walked out. Minnie took the lead, cutting down anything that opposed them. Within a few minutes they were outside and had rejoined the other knights.

Marlon glanced over when he heard the footsteps. His eyes immediately brightened when he saw Sophie. Running over he wrapped he rup in a warm, tight hug. 

“Soph, I’m so glad you’re alive!”  
Sophie chuckled, her breath tickling Marlon’s ear. “Me too.” The two held onto the hug for as long as they could before pulling away. 

“Tell me what needs to be done,” Sophie smiled confidently then suddenly gripped her side again. Marlon’s expression turned more serious at the sight, a deep level of concern in his eyes.

“Sophie,”

“I’m fine.” Sophie locked eyes with Marlon.

“I don’t buy it. You’ll leave with the first cart.” He motioned over to the cart where Violet was carefully helping people up. A little girl tugged on her armor and the knight kneeled down beside her hearing what she had to say before giving a short nod. With that Violet helped up the little girl into the cart then returned to Orion. 

“Alright, but I’ll help the people get into the cart,” Sophie didn’t wait for a response and got straight to work. She helped the princess up and reassured her that the knights were friendly before moving on to helping the others. Sophie helped the people with a bright smile as she told them that everything would be alright. 

Marlon smiled at the sight. When he had seen that she was alive, he had wanted to confess his feelings right then and there. But the timing was inappropriate. What mattered most now was the safety of the people of Howes and his knights. Marlon walked forward towards his knights who stood at the ready. “Sophie, Minnie and I will help the people get ready to leave. As for the rest of you, I want you to go through the streets one more time to find any more civilians we might be able to save.”

Violet, Brody and Clementine nodded and went off their separate ways, leaving the other three knights to prepare the people for the journey back to the kingdom of Ericson. 

\-----

Brody rode through the streets, carefully scanning the area for any lost or troubled folks. But when she reached the end of the street she could see that this one was clear. With that she went on to the next one, Alora’s hooves gently clacked against the stone pavement as she looked. When she had reached around the halfway point, Brody was met with a harsh welcoming.

A young man shot up from his hiding spot and with a quick draw shot an arrow, piercing deeply into Brody’s left shoulder. Brody let out a pained hissed and tilted backwards, causing Alora to neighed worriedly and trot in place. The worried cries of her horse drew out a few walkers that had been lurking in the shadows, causing the young man to scream in fear. Brody grasped the hilt on her sword and with a short, pained swing cut down two of the walkers. But the third was nearly upon her and she hadn’t the energy after all she had been through to slice it down. She pulled on her horse’s reins, moving back a few steps to buy herself more time. 

She feared the worst when suddenly the sharp sound of hooves hitting the stone pavement drew Brody’s attention to the youngest knight in the circle who was galloping forward. Clementine’s teeth were set in a firm, tense expression as she slashed her blade downward onto the walker, cutting it clean in half. With a quick instruction, Karma crushed the walker’s head underfoot.

“Clem!” Brody smiled “You sure are a lifesaver.”

“Brody,” Clementine’s tone sounded worried and tight. “What happened?”  
“I-it was an accident,” The young man threw his weapon and stumbled onto the ground.

Clementine looked over at the civilian, her eyes hardening ever so slightly.

“Clem, it really was an accident. He was just afraid,” Brody put a hand on Clementine’s shoulder. 

Clementine studied her friend’s expression then moved forward and held down a hand to the man. “Get on,” Clementine commanded to which the young man listened right away. It was clear on the young knight’s face that she was still upset with the civilian but her duty came first and foremost. 

The two knights rode side by side and returned to the central courtyard where the rest of the knights were waiting. All of them looked up when they heard them returning only for their eyes to grow large with concern when they saw the state Brody was in.

“What the fuck happened?” Violet asked, trotting her horse over to meet Brody’s and Clementine’s.

“An accident,” Clementine’s tone sounded angry as she strolled forward and helped guide the civilian to the last cart.

“I'll be fine,” Brody reassured with her usual gentle smile but that only made her comrades more worried.

“I’ll ride with Brody,” Sophie moved towards Alora, making Brody slide forward on her horse.

“But-” Minnie stepped forward only to stop when she saw the confident smile on Sophie’s face. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Besides, we’re the two knights that need the most patching up.”

“Alright,” Minnie took a deep breath. “May the winds guide you to our safe haven.”

“And may the winds guide you on your travels safe and true,” Sophie turned the horse and with a quick click of her heels the pair of knights were off.

\-----

Sophie guided Alora safely through the gates. Luckily Sophie had become a fairly good friend with all the knight’s horses, making it easier for her to earn their trust. It seemed as if Alora could sense her original rider’s state and pushed herself to her limits to bring her safely home. Sophie held out her sword, hissing slightly at the wind brushing against her open wound before landing a devastating blow against a walker’s head.

“You got hurt,” Brody whispered. 

Sophie glanced at her friend. “Yeah, but I’m gonna be alright,” She turned her attention back on the road and swung her sword, tearing through another walker’s flesh. “We both are. I bet Ruby is going to be worried when she sees us.”

Brody let out a small groan. “Ruby is going to be so worried. She always hates when I get hurt.”

“I mean, she is your sister.”

“True, but it still makes me feel bad.” Brody mumbled. “Mitch is gonna be worried too.”

“He always acts like he’s some big tough guy but he’s a real softie underneath, isn’t he?”  
“Yep,” Brody could feel herself slipping but was immediately caught by Sophie who winced from the sudden movement. 

“Careful there. Don’t want them to worry more.” Sophie smiled at her friend who glanced back at her fellow knight. 

“They’re going to just be hovering over me. They worry too much.”

"Says the biggest worrywart I know,” Sophie replied with a teasing smirk.

“Okay, fair.” Brody replied. Her hand reached up and hovered over the arrow in her shoulder before she let it fall. “Come on, let’s go home,” 

Sophie flicked the reins and galloped faster to the Kingdom of Ericson that slowly but surely was growing larger in the distance.

It took over an hour to reach the gates where Sophie halted Alora to a trotting halt.

“Who goes there?’ A guard called out.

“It is Sophie, Knight of Ericson and Brody of the same.”

The guard looked shocked. “My apologies,” He ran off and yelled instructions to the others who slowly opened the gates. Sophie rode forward towards the spot Brody was sure Ruby had set up a spot for the injured. Sure enough when they arrived they were greeted by AJ, Willy and Tenn followed closely behind by Louis and Ruby who bustled over with furrowed, worried brows.

“Brody!” Ruby cried. “What on earth happened to you?” Her eyes searched her sister’s who forced a reassuring smile.

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“What the fuck kind of misunderstanding is that?” Mitch huffed as he gingerly helped Brody off the horse. Willy scampered to his older brother’s side.

“Are you going to be okay, Brody?”

“Yeah, Willy. I will be.” Brody gave a smile that disappeared a second later when her arm burned with pain.

“Mitch, Willy, help bring Brody over here. We need to break the arrow and get it out of her shoulder.”

“Alright,” Mitch lifted Brody’s uninjured arm over his shoulder and carefully took steps forward. “It’s gonna be okay, Brodes.” He reached up his hand and gently held hers, rubbing small, soothing circles around the top of her hand. “You got the most badass doctor in the world.”

“Yeah, that's right.” Willy smiled up at the auburn knight who returned the smile. Ruby stayed by her side as well. Her hand intertwined with her sister’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. Brody smiled warmly at her sister, one she had only been blessed to know for a year and a half now but who meant the world to her. It was clear from the concern on her face that she felt the same about Brody. 

“Don’t you worry. I’ll patch you as good as new.”

“Thanks, Ruby,” Brody continued to be guided by her loved ones towards the medical area, leaving Sophie behind on Alora. 

“Well, King Louis. Looks like I’m still alive and kicking,” Sophie smiled at her king who seemed near tears at the sight of one of his dear friends back home.

“Seems like it. I’m glad you’re safe, Sophie.”

Sophie nodded and got down from Alora with a pained grunt. She was about to respond but was met with a gentle hug from her younger brother. Sophie looked down at Tenn and returned the hug.

“You’re back!” Tenn gave a soft smile up at his older sister.

“Yep, sorry that I worried you,” She gently wrapped her arms further around her brother’s back. Tenn’s calming presence put Sophie’s heart at peace. 

“I knew you’d be back. You and Minnie,” He looked around, slightly confused. “Where is she?”  
“She’s helping the injured people of the Kingdom of Howes. She’ll be back soon.” 

“Good. Then I can show you both the new drawing I worked on,” Tenn paused when he felt a strange, lukewarm substance on his hand when he held Sophie’s side. “Soph…”

Sophie pulled back and gave a warm smile. “Don’t worry, I-”

“Sophie!” Renata’s cheery, bubbly voice caused the knight to look over just in time to get tackled with a hug. A short, shaky breath escaped the court jester’s lips. “I thought… when they said the execution date had been moved up…” Renata’s grip around her best friend tightened. “I’m so sorry, Soph. If I had known...”

Sophie returned the hug. “You’re not to blame. I should’ve known something was up with that bastard.” Sophie and Renata remained quiet for a moment, simply enjoying the fact that the other was alive and well. “Renata, I’m so happy you’re safe. I was worried about your trip back to the kingdom.”

“Hah, please!” Renata pulled back and flashed a confident smile. “I can kick ass when I need to!”

“Noted!” Sophie’s face brightened up. Her smile dissipated in seconds, however, when she felt the weight leaving her legs. Renata and Tenn caught up on this fact right away and caught the knight who gave a shaky breath. “Sorry, guess I’m pretty weak. I haven’t eaten in nearly four days.” 

“Damn, for you that might as well be over two weeks.” Renata gave a teasing smile over to her best friend.

“Ha, ha.” Sophie winced in pain. A steady stream of blood was now trickling down her side, slipping through the armor and down onto the stone pavement. Renata and Tenn shared a worried look and helped guide Sophie to the medical area. Ever so carefully the pair help lay down the wounded knight. 

“Minnie is safe too. Her and all the others. They should be back in-” Sophie took a deep breath, the exhaustion of everything catching up to her. “In a few hours.”

“And until then Tenn and I will stay by your side. Isn’t that right, Tenn?” Renata sat down beside the young boy who gave a gentle smile and nod. Sophie smiled at the pair. It wouldn’t be long before the others returned. Ruby worked tirelessly to make sure her sister was safe and as soon as the arrow was out she stepped up, giving Mitch a spot to sit down and hold onto his lover’s hand as they spoke softly. 

Ruby moved over to Sophie who looked up at the doctor with a smile. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to patch you up.”

Sophie shook her head. “No, another healer can do that. Spend time with Brody.”

Ruby looked surprised by the suggestion but soon her face was covered with a grateful smile. Directing a healer towards Sophie, Ruby moved back and sat alongside Mitch and Willy. Ruby’s shoulders relaxed in an instant when she sat by Brody. The love those two sisters had for each other ran as deeply as the love Sophie had for Minnie even though they had only recently been reunited. 

Soon a doctor patched up Sophie who mentioned that this only added to her number of badass scars before getting into another conversation with Tenn and Renata. After a while a guard appeared and announced that they had spotted the carts on their way back. Sophie and all the others rose to watch as they saw Violet walk alongside the first cart where a little girl with black hair spoke with her followed by the second and third cart that Marlon rode beside. Two more carts were behind the Commander of Knights and Minnie and Clementine brought up the rear. As soon as they pulled to a stop, Ruby shooed Brody and Sophie to lay back down before helping the injured get to the medical area.

One by one the knights got off their horses, reunited with their loved ones at last. Renata jumped forward and wrapped Minnie in a hug, peppering her face with kisses that made the knight turn as red as her hair. Clementine and Louis talked while Marlon made sure the people were being guided to the right area. Violet got off her steed and pulled off her helmet, a small, warm smile on her face when she saw Prisha standing there. The two shared a long hug before a quick kiss. The alchemist smiled down at the knight and spoke at length of how happy she was that Violet was safe. After a few minutes, Louis walked over to Marlon who was still on his horse.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Louis smiled up at Marlon who returned the smile.

“It seems like everything worked out.”

Louis nodded and looked around at the number of people they had brought back. “How bad was it?”

“It was pretty bad. According to Minnie, the king has fallen and the princess seems to be in no state to rule.”  
“So then….” Louis locked eyes with Marlon and saw the sadness in his eyes that mirrored his own.

“Yes. The Kingdom of Howes has fallen.”


	4. Feast of Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King of Ericson throws a feast for the knights lost within the first year that the living dead have risen. Yet the young knights are less than pleased to go.

Marlon could feel the sweat starting to drip down his face. His chest heaved with each breath as his white shirt began to stain with sweat. He glanced over to see that his opponent was in a similar state. Sophie’s brow was laden with sweat and her breathing was shaky. Before he could be given another second to think, the redhead knight dashed forward and swung her wooden sword. Marlon lifted up his wooden weapon, causing a loud crack to emit through the training yard when the blades connected. 

Sophie’s feet repositioned on the ground and she tried to pressure the young knight. Marlon’s eyes darted left and right when he noticed a weak point in Sophie’s defense. Stepping backwards and releasing the pressure, he caused Sophie to slip up and made her off balance. With a quick kick to the leg he forced her to kneel and tumble over. Marlon sent down a powerful strike, but Sophie rolled out of the way and returned the favor to her fellow knight. Her foot kicked the back of his knee causing him to slip before Sophie kicked out his second leg. Marlon fell to the ground with a soft thud and looked over at Sophie who seemed proud with herself.

“That’s a draw.” Marlon noticed the smile fade from the redheaded knight but it soon reappeared.

“Nah, I totally had you,” Sophie jumped up to her feet and held out her hand. Marlon accepted the hand with a laugh.

“Please, Soph. I knocked you over first.”

“So?” Sophie shot back with a playful smile, tossing the wooden sword back over to her friend.

“So,” Marlon caught the weapon with ease. “It’s a draw.”

“Okay. Best two out of three.” Sophie’s smile grew when she saw the look of excitement on Marlon’s face.

“You better watch out. I’m about to kick your ass.”

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing.”

The two locked eyes, both burning with confidence and determination. They both drew their swords and were about to start the second round when a voice caused them to falter.

“Marlon, Sophie!” Christa’s commanding voice made the two young teens pause in their duel. “Enough training, it’s time to get ready for the feast.”

That statement made the atmosphere change around the training yard. The joy and excitement in both of the young knights faded, replaced with a feeling of dread as they walked inside to see that the other knights were already gathered around for dinner. On each of their plates were multiple pieces of chicken, a roll and a few cherry tomatoes along with some grapes. Sophie’s stomach growled at the sight and her joy returned anew for a minute. This was an upgrade from the same soup and stews they’d normally be offered.

“We get chicken?” Sophie sat down next to Minnie and happily began to tear into her meal, a look of utter happiness on her face at the taste of dinner. “Damn, Omar really can cook! Did he put spices on this or something?”

“I thought only those of royal status and nobility get a meal like this,” Marlon sat down beside Brody who was staring blankly at her meal.

“Louis snuck some out for us,” Violet spoke with her mouth full and swallowed roughly. “At least that's what Omar said when I went with Minnie to grab our meals.”

“You’re not eating?” Sophie paused in her meal and glanced over at Brody.

“Not hungry. Too tense to eat.” Brody whispered.

“Makes sense,” Minnie tossed the rest of her food in her mouth “But you gotta eat. Even if it is in preparation for a shitty feast.”

“Minerva,” Christa’s tone had a level of warning to it. She never did use Minnie’s full name unless she crossed the line. Minnie glanced up at her mentor and looked away. “It’s true,” Minnie’s voice grew louder. “The king hosts a feast honoring all the knights who sacrificed their lives for us, yet in actuality it's to bend the knee to another kingdom and share in their wealth. That’s why he’s being reckless with the amount of food wasted on this thing!”

All the young knights remained quiet, their eyes fixated on the ground before them. They had nothing to say to that. They felt the exact same way. Not only was this feast being held as a treaty agreement to a foreign kingdom, but the young knights had to attend it. Used as display to show how powerful and wise King Charles was to have not one nor two but five potentially great knights in the making. 

“Even if that is the case, you will go to the feast.” Christa instructed; her eyes scanned the room. “All of you. It could very well be for the betterment of the kingdom.”

All the knights looked annoyed at the statement but nodded regardless. 

“You’re coming with us, right?” Brody glanced up from her spot.

“Yes, I figured it would be for the best if I was there with you.” Christa gave a small smile that grew when she saw the relief on the group of young knights’ faces.

“Hope you guys got your fill of food! Because your armor has been reinforced, oiled and ready!” Omid’s bright voice called out from the doorway. The knights all turned to see their mentor by the door with his arms full of armor. Beside him were the blacksmith’s sons Willy and Mitch, both with their share of armor. 

Omid strolled forward and gave Christa a quick kiss then turned with a bright smile to the young knights. It disappeared for a moment when he noticed the solemn looks on their faces. “Come on, guys. No need for frowns right now. Save that for when you go to honor our fallen comrades at the feast. After all, you’re representing all of us ” Omid set down the armor and instructed the two boys to do the same. 

Mitch looked up and caught Brody’s eye. The two shared a quick smile. The oil and dirt on Mitch’s face scrunched up with the expression. 

“Omid’s right.” Christa added. “Let’s work to get your armor on.”

The knights reluctantly got up to their feet. All of them were wondered why they needed to get dressed to the fullest for this event. But none spoke up. They figured it best to leave it be and think of it more as a safety measure in case an attack broke out somewhere within the kingdom. Christa worked to help Minnie with her armor, getting the chainmail over her then her gauntlets while Omid did the same with Marlon .

Mitch focused on helping Brody with her set of armor, the pair’s faces becoming incredible red as they did so. Sophie and Violet helped each other and Willy darted around here and there helping place on swords and other spare pieces. Soon all the knights were ready. Their armor shone brightly as did their matching red capes that brought focus onto the Ericson crest displayed on their armor. 

“Everyone looks great!” Omid smiled proudly at the young knights. “Now remember to be on your best behavior and if you get bored, look for the court jester. I’ve heard people say that they’re like no other court jester seen before. Got some real tricks up their sleeves.” Omid’s statement was met with mixed expressions shared between the knights. Some like Sophie seemed excited by the idea while others like Violet couldn't care less. 

“Omid!” Lee’s voice called out from the courtyard. “We need you for your shift!”

“Coming!” Omid called back. He jogged forward, placing another quick kiss on Christa before running out of the room. 

“Alright, let’s get going.” Christa stated and turned sharply on her heel. She was about halfway out the doorway when she stopped in her tracks. “Violet, don’t wear your helmet.” With that she continued to make her way out of the room.

“Shit,” Violet tossed aside her helmet. She always felt more comfortable with it on whenever she met with those outside the knights and her friends. She felt a hand on her shoulder and was surprised to see Marlon there. 

He gave a warm, reassuring smile before moving past her. “Let’s go.” The rest of the knights followed, silent and tense. None of them wanted to be going to this event. All their wounds were far too fresh to have a party thrown in their dead mentors’ names. Especially since for Brody and Marlon they had lost not only a mentor and trusted ally but a parent. 

Christa glanced back at them for a moment, noticing the pain on their faces and feeling her own heartbreak. But there was no turning back. Striding forward, she pushed open the door. 

In the great fall, the dinner portion of the feast had ended and the entertainment section of it had begun. Flute and lute music played softly as different royals began to mingle. The room was filled with different conversations and colors as obles filled every space of the room. King Charles looked up from his throne, stopping his conversation with the king beside him. To his left stood Princes Louis who looked somewhat relieved that the knights had arrived.

“Ah,” The king motioned towards the knights. “It seems that the knights have finally arrived.”

Christa motioned for them to follow her and they began to make their way to the side of the room. They figured this would be where they would spend most of their evening. Simply standing on displaying and speaking to any nobles 

“These were the knights I was speaking of, King Carver. They have done exceptionally well in these trying times. In fact,” King Charles glanced around at the knights, all of whom didn’t dare look his way, “You,” He pointed towards Minnie. “You saved a village once, isn’t that correct? From the living dead?”

Minnie glanced up at the king then looked away. Her heart twisted in pain at the memory that his question had brought up. She knew of what he spoke of. She and Sophie had saved a village once but it was from their mentor, Molly. She had played off an injury that was far more serious than either young teen had figured. It had taken both of them and all their strength to put her down. Minnie remained quiet, far too long for the king’s liking whose eyes hardened at the red-headed knight. Minnie felt a sharp jab to her side and noticed that Christa had done it. The look in her eyes made it clear that she wanted Minnie to speak up. In fact, it was non-negotiable.

“That’s right,” Minnie looked up at her king. “My sister and I slayed the-” Minnie’s throat became dry. “The walker that threatened the village.”

“Your Highness,” Christa took a step forward. “That is still a bitter memory for her. We lost Molly that day.”

“Oh yes, that was her name.” King Charles shook his head sadly. “Such a shame to lose a good knight. In fact, we have been plagued with loss after loss of knights.” The king raised up his wine cup. “To those that have fallen. May their death continue to serve the living.” He held up his wine glass, the liquid swirling around wildly within. “To the fallen!”   


“To the fallen!” the nobles and royals recited and took a sip from their wine glass before continuing their evening. 

The knights all shared a quick look. That was it? Was that really all that was going to be said for those who had given their lives for the Kingdom of Ericson? Who had saved their children and loved ones? A pit of anger filled the knights’ stomachs but they remained quiet all the same. 

A few tears started to escape Brody’s eyes as she turned her head away. Marlon’s hand held her arm, the grip of which told a story all its own. Marlon could also feel the pain in his heart growing, yet he tried his best to hide his tears. To share them afterwards with those he trusted and knew felt the same.

“Well, it is a shame.” Carver spoke up and leaned back in his chair. “But it looks like you have quite the potential knights. I think the Kingdom of Wellington could learn from you.”

“That is very kind, but I’m sure my kingdom could learn just as much from yours.” King Charles complimented the other king. The two kings began to get caught up in their conversation once again, leaving the rest of the guests to enjoy the entertainment while the knights stood in silence. After a few minutes, a guard showed up, whispering something in Christa’s ear. 

“I have to leave, but I shouldn’t be gone for the whole event,” Christa saw the worried looks in the young knights’ eyes and gave a short smile. “Be on your best behavior.” With that she was off. 

Within the next few minutes a young teen looking to be around fifteen strolled forward towards the knights. His eyes looked between the girls, all of whom looked less than enthused by this scenario. He paused when his eyes wandered over to Minnie who looked annoyed by the whole event that was playing out. “Would you care for a dance?” The young noble bowed, his plum hat nearly falling over as the feather danced in the air.

“No.” Minnie stated simply and glanced away.

“Huh,” The young teen’s face scrunched up in annoyance. “I thought it was a knight’s job at such events to listen to the nobles.”

“Perhaps the nobles of my kingdom, but not yours,” Minnie hissed, causing the other knights to look over, shocked by their comrade’s anger.

The young noble was about to speak up again when Sophie took a step forward. 

“Would it be alright if I accepted the dance in her place?”

The noble looked over, his eyes dancing with intrigue. “I suppose. What is your name?”   
“Sophie.” The knight gave a bow. “Knight to the Kingdom of Ericson.”

“Rowan. House of Althalos.” He didn’t bother to bow. “Shall we?” He held out his hand which Sophie placed her own in. Sophie glanced back at the others who looked unsure by the whole thing but relieved all the same that Sophie had defused the situation. Sophie began to start the dance as the soft lute music began. She stood by his side taking steps forward. Their hands connected as they switched spots before starting the next part of the dance.

“It’s quite odd,” Rowan mumbled as his hand connected with Sophie and they rotated positions again.

“What is?” Sophie asked. Most of her concentration was on the dance. She never had been great with dancing.

“That a woman would adorn armor.” Those words made Sophie’s eyes shoot up to look at the young noble. 

“Well, I don’t know why it would be.” Sophie grasped his hand as they continued to dance. 

“Because a woman’s role in society is already set,” Rowan shook his head. “Honestly it makes me wonder if the Kingdom of Ericson is stuck in some backwards thinking.”

Those words made Sophie’s stomach twist with annoyance. What gave him the right to critique her kingdom? Especially when what the young noble was critiquing was something that didn’t need change. “I think that's a rather large jump to make,” Sophie spun around, locking hands with the noble once again. “After all, our system has worked.”

“I would disagree,” Rowan danced around Sophie before placing his palm on hers and switching spots. “Only one of your adult knights is not a man. The rest from what I heard are no longer of this world. It makes me wonder if perhaps there is a reason for that.”

Sophie could feel her anger rising. “It is the living dead. They are the reason.”

“In part, but I fear that if this pattern continues then only he may remain of the young knights,” Rowan motioned over to Marlon who had a mixture of worry and annoyance on his face. It seemed like Marlon was picking up on Sophie’s expressions throughout the dance. A quick glance at the others made it clear that they had been too. 

“I highly doubt it,” Sophie grabbed Rowan’s hand once more.

“You may if you wish. I think it would be wise to move to the Kingdom of Wellington.” Rowan spun around and stopped his dancing when the music ended. “Well?”

Sophie bit down on her lip, the taste of iron filling her mouth as she gave a deep bow. She needed to be on her best behavior. “My greatest apologies, but my loyalties lie with the Kingdom of Ericson.”

“A shame,” Rowan strolled away, barely glancing back at the still bowing knight. “Let me know if you or the others change your minds.”

“Never in a million years, asshole,” Sophie whispered under her breath and wiped away the blood on her lip as she made her way over.

“What happened?” Brody asked, handing over a handkerchief. 

Sophie gave a small smile and took the gift, pressing it against her lips. “I was on my best behavior,” Sophie mumbled. “So I danced with a sexist jerk.”

“Honestly, most nobles seem like assholes,” Violet grumbled. 

“At least Louis is nice.” Marlon added. “I bet he’ll try to mingle with us.”

“Probably,” Minnie paused when she saw another young teen walk over. This time Brody took the offer even though it was directed at Violet and started up her dance. Soon this began to become a routine. Sophie and Brody would take up dances offered to Violet and Minnie since they knew neither of them wanted to be with a guy. After a while though both Brody and Sophie were tired and luckily were given a short break. 

When a girl asked Marlon to dance, the blonde knight seemed flustered by the whole thing but soon took the lady’s hand and guided her over to the dance floor. The other knights watched in silent amusement as Marlon skipped in time with his dance partner, his leg kicking out before he turned to the side and repeated the motion. Every so often he would lock eyes with one of his fellow knights who had a teasing smile on their face and roll his eyes before turning away to focus on the dance. After it was done, Marlon gave a deep bow, thanking the young noble for the dance and walking back over. 

“Quite the dance moves, Marlon.” Sophie smiled over at her friend.

“Yeah? Maybe I should quit being a knight and pursue that instead,” He had a playful smile on his face as he looked over at his friend.

“Just need to get yourself one of those fancy hats,” Sophie nodded over to a young noble with a red hat that covered his entire head and draped to the side. Marlon chuckled and was about to speak but before he could both he and Sophie were chosen for dances again, followed by Brody who took one for Minnie and was pulled onto the dance floor by a rather eager young noble.

“Mitch would be so fucking pissed if he saw this.” Minnie smiled over at Violet. 

Violet looked up with a smirk. “Yeah, especially since most of these guys are clearly assholes.”

“I could’ve sworn I hear Mitch complaining the other day about how it wasn’t fair that he couldn’t go to the feast.” Minnie’s statement made Violet give a light chuckle.

“Honestly, he’s so-” Violet paused when she noticed Louis making his way over, apologizing when he ran into a dancing couple and readjusting his small crown before making his way over to the two girls. His royal evergreen robes fluttered as he strode over.

“Good evening, fair knights!” Louis gave an overly dramatic bow and flashed a happy grin only for his crown to fall over. Fumbling to catch it, he continued. “How fares your evening?”   
“It sucks,” Minnie mumbled.

“It’s ass,” Violet added in agreement.

“Well, tis a shame. Perhaps I could change that,” He held out his hand. “So, how about it, Vi? Care to dance?”

“No.” Violet said in a monotone voice.

“Come now, Violet,” Louis tutted his finger. “It's rude to refuse a dance from the prince. Especially when you could have so many worse choices.” Louis gestured towards Brody who was dealing with a rather flirtatious noble and Sophie who seemed to be stuck in another dance with Rowan.

“Fine,” Violet strolled forward, not bothering to take the prince’s hand until the music started. The two danced in silence for a minute. Louis was the first to break the silence. 

“I’m sorry about this feast,” He whispered over at her while they switched spots. “I tried to convince my father to have a quieter feast with only the knights to honor those who had fallen. Or at the very least not make you all come here for show.” Louis’ face fell, his eyes hidden behind his dreadlocks. 

“It’s fine. Nothing new.” Violet murmured.

“That’s just it.” Louis spoke as he danced. “I want it to change, but I can’t get my father to agree. All the knights we lost… Carley, Kenny, Molly, we should take the time to honor them.”

“Then become king,” Violet smirked over at her friend.

“Yeah, like it's that simple.” Louis’ expression became more somber. “Even if I want things to be different, I don’t want to become king anytime soon. I mean, can you imagine a fucking fourteen year old king?” Louis took a deep breath as he grabbed Violet’s hand and swapped spots again. “I just don’t want that day to come for a lot of reasons….”

“I get it,” Violet glanced over at her friend. “But it may happen whether you want it to or not.”

“I know,” Louis pressed his palm against Violet’s and rotated once again. “I just hope that I have the people’s support when I do.”

“You will.” Violet stated simply. “You’ll have ours.”

Louis looked at his friend with wide eyes then gave a bright smile. “Aww, Violet.” He leaned forward only to get pushed away by the knight. 

“Don’t.” Violet walked back over to the spot where the rest of the knights already were. Joining them, she stared off blankly once again. 

“You think the court jester’s gonna show?” Sophie looked oer at the others. 

“Does it matter?” Violet crossed her arms. “I just want this feast to be over.”

“Probably will just be some weird middle-aged man anyway,” Minnie shrugged. Brody was about to add in her two cents when the music stopped. Suddenly a girl dressed in bright colors ran into the room. The ends of her jester hat bounced as she dashed forward. She did a few flips and jumped in the air, doing a quick splits before landing on bended knee. Minnie looked in awe at the sight. She didn’t expect a court jester to be like this. Her dark brown hair was pulled to the side in a bun and her eyes danced with a playful, mischievous glint. 

“Your Highness, I fear the mood has grown dim,” The young girl bowed her head before looking up with a playful grin. “But have no fear, Renata is here!” The girl took off her jester hat and took out three colorful balls and an apple then proceeded to toss the jester hat that landed onto King Carver’s head. 

The knights looked alarmed for a moment, worried at what may happen. But all the royals and nobles laughed loudly at the sight. Renata smiled and began to juggle the three balls and the apple. She moved forward and paused, tossing the four objects high in the air before doing two backflips and catching them again. 

The audience’s attention was in her hands, searching wildly for the apple she surely must have dropped. But Renata tilted back her head, revealing the apple in her mouth. She caught all three balls in her hand and locked eyes with Minnie, giving a rather flirtatious wink that made the knight’s heartbeat quicken. Tucking the balls and apple under her arm, Renata gave a bow which was met with applause before she made her way over to Prince Louis. The court jester started to say what were obviously bad puns but the prince loved them nonetheless.

Minnie’s mind was still spinning from the wink she had received. She surely must have misinterpreted that.

“Well, she’s flirty.” Sophie spoke up, causing Minnie to look over at her twin.

“What do you mean?”

“She winked at you,” Violet stated simply, Brody nodded in agreement in the background.

“T-that was a… blink.” Minnie mumbled.

“Really? A blink?” Sophie smiled over to her sister, a teasing look in her eye.

“No one blinks like that,” Marlon added. 

“Well, I-”

“Wait, she’s coming over here.” Brody’s statement made the others glance over and see the jester walking up to them. 

“Well, I’ve never been to a feast with so many knights before,” She looked over at the knights with a smile. “This really will be quite the  _ knight.”  _ She gave a playful smile but only Sophie laughed. It instantly brightened up the court jester’s eyes though. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Renata of the house of Rameriz.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sophie. That there is Minnie, then Violet, Brody and Marlon.”

“A pleasure to meet you. But it seems like this feast needs to have some fun.” Renata tapped a hand on her chin. “Oh!” She walked forward and getting on her tiptoes whispered something in Minnie’s ear. Minnie’s eyes grew large.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. What if-”

“It will be easy!” Renata grabbed both of the knight’s hands and dragged her to the center of the room. She stopped Minnie at a certain spot and held her own thumb out to the space in front of her. 

“I’d say you could probably shoot from here,” Renata scrambled over to the spot and placed the apple on her head. “Alrighty, Minnie. Whenever you’re ready.”

Minnie took a deep breath and took out her crossbow. Cautiously aiming it, she hit the apple square on. It landed with a thunk, embedded against the wall. The nobles and royals cheered along with the knights and Renata gave a bright smile over at Minnie before grabbing her hands and dancing around.

“I knew you were the right choice!”

“Oh… ummm..” Minnie scratched the back of her head. 

“Just you wait. The party has only begun!’ The court jester declared. She was true to her words. Tons of magic tricks, acrobatics and puns were displayed by Renata who had much of the court in fits of laughter. Time flew by with the court jester’s appearance and soon the feast was done and the knights were dismissed. Minnie glanced back at the door with a contemplative look.

“Want us to stop?” Sophie’s teasing tone made Minnie frown.

“”No, let's just get back to the quarters and take off this gear.”

“Alright,” Sophie shrugged.

Soon the air about the knights had turned to lighter, happier tones than it had borne during the feast. They walked down the halls, each of them feeling less burdened by it all. When they arrived back at the quarters they were surprised to find Lee, Pete, Omid and Christa sitting there waiting for them. They each had a tankard in their hand and five tankards waited for them.

“Hey there,” Lee rose up from his spot. “I know how hard it must’ve been going to that feast. Especially since it wasn’t what you expected.”

“So we thought we’d snag some drinks and have our own toast.” Omid had a gentle smile.

“Share some good memories,” Pete added.

“Omar was gracious enough to sneak you guys some milk. Have a seat,” Christa gestured over to the table and the five knights sat down, each grabbing a tankard.

“To those who are gone,” Lee’s warm voice echoed throughout the room. “May they find peace in the afterlife and help guide and watch over us. May our lives bring honor to them. To our fallen comrades!” He lifted up his drink.

“To our fallen comrades!” the rest of the knights said in unison before drinking deeply from their tankards. 

Once that was done, Lee began to share some of his favorite memories of their fallen comrades. How Kenny had accidentally fallen into a barrel of standing water and got his butt stuck in it, how Molly had single-handedly taken out three of another kingdom’s knights. Omid added in his own funny tales here and there as well. Christa spoke up about memories of Carley and her wise yet caring warmth and Pete shared about how brave Marlon’s father was and his respect for the fallen Commander of Knights. Soon the young knights joined in laughing and crying at the memories of their fallen comrades, adding in their own tales and memories. Hoping they would be able to honor them in life and continue to walk the path of noble knights who fought for their people. 


	5. Trial by Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prisha and Aasim try to make it through another day in the Kingdom of the Savior when everything goes wrong...

Prisha lay on her back, her eyes searching the sky for different clouds, hoping that she would be able to pass the time until her parents would return back from what was surely a wasted effort. Every day her parents would go out begging for food or coin and were met with little to no help. It wasn’t a rare occurrence in the Kingdom of the Savior. Life had always been unkind to those who had little coin to their name in this kingdom. 

Queen Jolene had always been an odd ruler who only seemed to grow more paranoid over the years. In her mind she viewed the citizens as those she could save, lost lambs in an unjust world. Protecting them from the evil sorcerers and sorceresses that her guards would hunt down in the streets. Sometimes the air around the kingdom became so thick with the smell of burning flesh that it made Prisha’s head spin. A broken mind sat upon the throne and no lineage had any power to say otherwise. 

Prisha looked up at the clouds, noticing a few random shapes here and there. One cloud looked like that of a local mutt that ran around the streets while another resembled a dagger. One cloud looked like a hare which only made her mind wander to how delicious a hare would be for dinner. Slowly roasted over the fire and covered in fragrant spices... 

Prisha shook her head and rose up from her spot. Her eyes wandered around the area, wondering where her brother could be. She hadn’t seen him in a while. Last time she did he seemed rather anxious which meant there was only one place she could think him to be. Casually walking down the street, the teen made her way to a short alley. She looked up and saw a small pillar of smoke dancing in the air near the end of the alleyway. A small smile pulled at Prisha’s lips when she saw the sight. Her guess had been correct. Strolling down the alley, she soon saw the small fire that crackled as the heat from the flames splintered the wood. Hovering over the fire was her young brother. His hands were close to the fire, dancing with the flames as his eyes shone in awe of the blaze. 

“I’d figured I’d find you here, Aasim,” Prisha’s warm voice drew the young teen’s attention away from the mesmerizing flames. 

His face instantly brightened when he saw his older sister. “I guess I’m pretty easy to read then.” Aasim scooted over to give a spot to his sibling. Prisha sat down. Her eyes focused on the fire for a moment then returned to her brother.

“You’re drawn to fires whenever you’re anxious. Been that way for a while now.”

“They calm me. I don't know what it is about them. But the flames,” Aasim’s hand hovered over the fire, “Settle my heart.”

“As long as you don’t go setting fires, I’m fine with that. “ Prisha laid her left arm over her knee. The flame’s glow illuminated the crescent moon shaped birthmark on stood prominently on her hand. “What’s got you so anxious?”

“Father and mother,” Aasim mumbled, “They work so hard and yet we never get enough to eat.” Aasim’s face fell at his own statement. Prisha glanced at her brother then back to the flames. 

“Then we’ll help them,” Prisha’s words made Aasim look up and lock eyes with her. “I’ll find a job somehow and I’m sure we could ask the castle if they could use an extra stable hand.” Aasim studied Prisha’s face and saw the fiery determination held deep within her eyes. 

“You’re right,” Aasim reached for a twisted twig on the ground and held it in the fire. Soon the twig became wrapped in the fire’s embrace and caught aflame. Aasim held it out, his eyes focused on the flames as they crawled down the stick.

“Careful not to burn yourself,” Prisha warned.

“I know, I know.” Aasim smiled at his sister who returned it only to pause when she noticed Aasim’s smile fading. His eyes seemed to be focused on something. Prisha followed her sibling’s gaze towards a pair of guards storming forward with a weathered middle-aged man struggling to keep up with them.

“T-that’s him,” The man’s voice cracked as he pointed a jagged finger at Aasim. “He’s the sorcerer I spoke of.”

Aasim and Prisha rose to their feet and shared a worried look. The guards slowly made their way forward, their hands hovering cautiously over their swords.

“There’s been a misunderstanding,” Prisha’s voice remained calm even though her heart was racing. “My brother is no sorcerer.”

“Yes he is!” The man cried out. “I've seen him use witchcraft with fire. That fire before him must be one he made with his wand!” The middle aged man pointed at the twisted twig in Aasim’s hand. The guards’ eyes wandered over to the twig, widening in fear at the sight. Aasim tossed the twig away and took a step forward.

“There is a reasonable explanation for this. You see-”

“Save it for the trial,” One of the guards snapped and moved forward, wrapping his hand around the thirteen year old’s collar. Pulling Aasim’s hands behind his back, they bound him with chains.

“Aasim!” Prisha cried out and ran forward. “Stop this!” she pleaded but was met with a hard slap by one of the guards, causing her to crumble to the ground.

“Stop!” Aasim moved forward to reach his sister but was blocked by one of the guards. “There is no need for this!”

“Shut it, sorcerer! Don’t think I’ll show pity on you just because of your age.” The guard pushed Aasim forward while the other guard paid the middle-aged man a reward for his service to the kingdom.

“Thank you!” The man tossed the coin pouch in his hand and whistled as he strolled beside the guard who was roughly escorting Aasim to the dungeons.

“Don’t follow us if you know what’s good for you,” The other guard hovered over Prisha with a menacing look then turned to leave. 

A strand of hair fell free from Prisha’s braid and curled along her face as she looked at the guard leaving to join his comrade. Pushing herself up to her feet, the teen’s eyes began to dart around the area left and right for anything she may use as a distraction in order to buy herself some time and free her younger brother. They landed upon a small glass container that seemed to be filled with some thick liquid. 

Grabbing it up, Prisha tossed it at the guard’s arm, failing to notice that the cloth attached to it had caught flame until she had already thrown it. The glass container shattered on impact, connecting with the guard’s arm and coating it and part of his torso. After a second his arm lit up in flames, causing Prisha’s eyes to widen in shock. It only took her a second to put together that what she must’ve thrown was a jar of oil. 

The guard screamed in a panic and waved his arm wildly, causing those around him to stop and watch in horror as the man’s arm became consumed by fire. The guard looked around frantically when his eyes fell upon a barrel of standing water. Dunking it, he quenched the flames before looking over at Prisha who stood frozen by what had just transpired. 

“A sorceress!” the man who had claimed the reward money cried in fear as he pointed at Prisha. “They must be twin sorcerers! Here to bring chaos to the queen!”

“No! You have it wrong,” Aasim tried to move back towards his sister only to get hit in the gut and keel over in pain.

“Aasim!” Prisha moved forward and was surprised when the other guard appeared before her. With a harsh slap he stunned Prisha who stumbled back, a small trial of blood escaping her now busted lip. Her arm was soon locked in the iron grip of the guard who bound her hands as well.

Within seconds the siblings were being dragged back to the kingdom. Their pleas to the guards fell on deaf ears as well as all who watched. Some townsfolk moved away as the pair was being pulled forward, hiding their faces from who they feared were nothing more than monsters. The siblings’ throat became rough and sour after constant begging but it was pointless. 

Reaching the castle, they found themselves in front of the throne room doors. The two guards who stood watch there pushed open the door revealing Queen Jolene who sat anxiously on her throne. Her fingers tapped on the arm of the chair while her other hand ran through her thick brown hair that looked disheveled and frazzled. Her eyes shot up at the sound of the doors opening, widening at the sight. The heavy bags under her eyes temporarily disappeared when Prisha and Aasim were forced onto their knees. 

“Your Highness,” one of the guards bowed deeply. “We have found two more users of the dark arts.”

“Is that right?” Jolene stared at the two prisoners before her, her eyes twitching and body trembling at the sight of them. “You have proof?”

“Yes,” The other guard spoke up. “A townsman saw him perform fire magic.” He pulled on the back of Aasim’s head to force him to look up at the queen who bought the story right away.

“And this one?” She gestured over to Prisha.

“She burned my arm in retaliation when we tried to take away her brother to punish evil ways.” The guard behind the teen held up his arm that had severe burns on it.

“That was not my intention. I was simply trying to free my brother from being wrongfully accused.” Prisha’s throat felt dry as she looked up at Queen Jolene whose eyes were filled with fear.

“Neither of us are any danger to anyone in the kingdom.” Aasim added in hopes it would deescalate the situation and clear up this mess. But it seems to do the opposite as the queen snapped her fingers, sending an order to the guards. The guards pushed both siblings against the floor. Their faces ached from the force by which they were being held down. 

“There’s more.” one of the guards spoke up. “I spotted a mark on the girl’s hand when binding her.” The guard twisted Prisha’s hand, causing her to let out a pained hiss as her hand was displayed for the queen. 

The queen let out a frightened cry and jumped up from her spot. “The mark of evil!” Her voice wavered as she pointed at the mark. “Search the other one for any marks!” 

The guards immediately followed her orders. It only took seconds for them to find Aasim’s birthmark that lay prominently on his right forearm and held the shape of a rising sun. Twisting it, they showed it to the queen whose eyes were shaking with fear. 

“Marks on both of them?!” She pulled her crown down tighter around her head. “Cursed by the Blood Moon and sent to wipe out the innocent!”

“No, please.” Aasim begged. “My sister and I are innocent. These are simply birthmarks.”

  
“You were chosen from birth,” Queen Jolene walked toward them and hovered over the fearful forms of Prisha and Aasim. “Chosen to cause chaos to all. But I will save them.” Queen Jolene looked down at the siblings with absolute disdain, a fearful, hateful look in her eyes. She didn’t view them as fellow humans but as monsters. “You will pay for your acts in the dark arts by dying in the very flames you’ve meddled with! Guards! Take them away! Tell the people we will rid the world of two more sorcerers come dawn. They shall burn until nothing is left of their wickedness!” Queen Jolene spat down at the siblings who were struggling to get up.

“Stop this. Please,” Aasim pleaded as he tried to get up. He struggled to break free as did Prisha but it was no use. “We aren’t threats.”

“I won’t fall for your wicked ways.” Queen Jolene’s eyes danced with paranoia. “None of us will.”

“You’re no savior,” Prisha hissed. “You’re just a fearful queen hiding away in her castle. My brother and I may be innocent, but you are no such thing!” she spat, her eyes burning with anger.

“Enough!” Jolene snapped. “I won’t hear such disrespect from a despicable user of witchcraft! I will rid my kingdom of your sins and bring forth an era of everlasting peace!” The doors to the throne room began to close. The last image the siblings saw was Queen Jolene’s twisted smile. Prisha and Aasim were roughly dragged through the castle. Both guards were harsh in their handling as they tossed the siblings into a rotten cell that smelled of death and human waste. 

“Let us out!” Aasim cried. “You have no evidence!”

“It’s no use,” Prisha mumbled, causing her brother to glance over and see his sister sitting on the ground. Her face held deep sadness. “There’s no reasoning with them.”

Aasim stared at her for a moment then joined her side. Slowly he put an arm around her shoulder before both of them wrapped the other in a deep hug. Soft, sharp sobs left both of them as their bodies trembled.

“How,” Aasim murmured, “How do we get out of this?”   


“I don’t know,” Prisha’s face hid against Aasim’s shoulder. The two siblings stayed in that moment, leaning on each other and holding onto the other’s strength however fleeting it may be. After a while they pulled away and let their heads fall back against the stone wall. Both of them talked here and there, neither thinking of hopeful conversation but instead of their ever-present doom. It was only after hours had passed that Aasim jolted forward, a hopeful look in his eyes. 

“We could cause a diversion,”

“How so?” Prisha looked over at her brother.

Aasim remained quiet as he rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a rugged piece of flint.

“They didn’t take our things. The fools,” Aasim chuckled.” Too focused on our ‘evil ways’ to bother.”

Prisha’s eyes brightened at the newly-found hope in the shape of flint and shifted onto her knees. “What do you need in order to make a flame?”

“I already have the flint. I only need some object to create a spark and something to light.” Aasim’s eyes wandered over to the ratty blanket in their cell then over to some stray strands of hay that littered the floor directly outside. “Perfect.”

Prisha followed her brother’s gaze and soon smiled as well. Her eyes searched for anything to use to create a spark when they fell upon a stone. She reached down only for her nose to catch the faint smell of oil when the sleeve of her shirt touched it.

“I think this will work.” Prisha’s eyes danced with inspiration which made Aasim’s anxiety lessen. She handed over the stone and glanced up at the small window; the moon was starting to rise. Without a word, Prisha tore off her sleeve and handed it to her brother.

“Prisha, what-” Aasim paused when his nose caught the scent of oil. His mind instantly connected the dots. Not waiting a moment longer, he began to work on making a flame, tying the oiled shirt sleeve around a bundle of hay. He started to get to work. Prisha moved to place the ratty blanket as best she could in hopes it would lead the flame to the hay outside their cell. 

Sounds from the floors above made the siblings’ skin crawl. Muffled screams and unearthly groans echoed through the dungeon. They didn’t know what was happening up there, but they needed to focus on getting out. After a few attempts Aasim had successfully lit the flames. Stretching his arm through the bars, he set it against the blanket. The flames licked at the blanket before consuming it with fire. Soon the floor began to smoke, fire crackling to life all across the floor. Just as it began to rise, a pair of footsteps ran forward that belonged to the guard on watch. 

“What on earth...”

“You must release us at once!” Aasim commanded, his face pressed against the bars as he glared at the guard.

“If you don’t we will continue to use our witchcraft to burn this place to the ground,” Prisha’s tone made the guard’s skin crawl. "Do not test us. I will cost you your life." She sounded genuine in her threat.

“Holy shit! Alright, alright!” The cell guard’s voice cracked as he fumbled with his keys. Turning to face the door, he shifted the lock’s mechanism that let out a loud click.The guard glanced away for a moment when he heard more screams upstairs and odd footsteps coming down the stairs. A loud set of thuds echoed from the staircase and suddenly another guard appeared, falling onto the ground. What looked like a reanimated corpse was biting deeply into his neck’s flesh, pulling apart the muscles while the guard screamed out in pain. 

Before the guard at the cell door had time to pull open the door, Prisha grabbed the bars and rammed it into the guard’s face. The guard crumbled to the smoking ground , the fire all but faltering out. 

“Prisha, what-” Aasim began.

“No time,” Prisha grabbed the guard’s sword and keys unlocking the chains that bound Aasim's wrists, Aasim soon did the same for her. Prisha then handed her brother one of the torches. “We need to get out of here.” She gestured over to the reanimated corpse that looked at them with milky white eyes. Any thread of humanity was gone in this creature as it stumbled forward. The guard’s muscles and blood dripped from its lips. 

Prisha’ grip tightened on the sword as she ran forward and sunk it deep into the living dead’s abdomen. The teen let out a relieved sigh only to have fear be born anew in her gut when she heard an ungodly groan emit from the monster’s lips again. 

With a war cry Aasim ran forward and swatted at its head with the torch. That gave Prisha enough time to pull out her sword and swing at a place she figured must be a sure bet: the skull. The sword embedded itself into the living dead’s head and after a second any light that had once swirled in its eyes was long gone. Prisha pulled away the sword, causing the blood on the blade to splatter the floor.

“What the hell are these things?” Aasim examined the monster with fear.

“I… I am not sure.” Prisha could feel her terror rising with each breath. All she needed to do was focus on making it out of here with Aasim. “But we must leave.” Aasim nodded, grabbing Prisha’s hand and started to move forward up the stairs. Cautiously they opened the door, Prisha taking the lead and standing in front of her brother with her sword drawn should any guards get near them.

As she continued forward, however, more of the living dead appeared in her path. It seemed all the monsters were preoccupied though, feasting on meals they had already killed. Guts and blood stained the living dead’s hands as they consumed the human flesh. 

There were so many of them and if they had flooded the castle then surely they could be covering the streets as well. How were they going to survive and get back home and…. That's when a realization struck her. “Mother and Father.” She looked over at Aasim who had the same expression of dread and fear. His seemingly connecting the same dots she had.“What if these monsters have reached them?”

“We must go home at once,” Aasim’s hand tightened around Prisha’s hand and avoiding the feasting monsters slipped out of the room and were off. 

Finding a door that led outside, they dashed through the streets that were plagued by the living dead. Blood-curdling screams and pleas rang out through the streets as the siblings strategically avoided the living dead that roamed the kingdom. Prisha and Aasim could feel their hearts beating out of their chests and pounding in their ears. They needed to reach their parents. 

“As soon as we find mother and father we’ll leave.” Prisha glanced back at her brother who looked terrified. “Leave the kingdom and find somewhere safe.”

“Alright,” Aasim swallowed roughly and nodded, turning all of his focus back on making it to their rundown house.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the door. Prisha reached out, gripping the door and pushing it open, causing the moonlight to bleed through and brighten up the room. It continued to light up more and more sections of the room until it nearly reached the edges by the far wall. 

Two shadowy figures twitched and groaned at the newfound sound and light. Stumbling forward on their rotting legs, they moved into the light, making Aasim and Prisha’s hearts stop and their blood run cold. There, mindlessly grasping at the siblings, were their parents. Dead and decaying. 

“No…” Prisha shook her head. “It can’t be,” Tears threatened to escape her eyes as those meant to protect her staggered forward, their only desire to harm her.

“Mother… Father,” Aasim moved forward and reached out a hand only to be met with an attack by them. Prisha pulled back her brother and threw him into the streets, causing him to stumble and his torch to get snuffed out by the mud. Prisha swung her sword wildly in front of her as she blindly took steps backwards. Aasim got on his feet once again and dashed forward, closing the door and blocking the sight of their decaying parents behind it.

“Prisha,” Aasim gripped his sister’s shoulders. “I need you to stay with me.”

“I…. Mother, Father,” Tears began to fall down the teen’s face.

“I know,” Aasim could hear the door creaking under their undead parents’ attacks. Tears began to fall from his eyes and stain his face. “But we need to run away.”

Prisha’s eyes searched her brother’s and soon refocused. “You’re.. You’re right.” 

Aasim nodded and held onto his sister’s hand as they made their way through the streets.. Barraged by countless sounds, they failed to hear the stables being broken as the horses spilled out. Aasim’s eyes grew wide when a tall grey stallion got up on its hind legs and whinnied. Its hooves were descending upon him when Prisha pulled him out of the way only to nearly get trampled on as well. Both siblings worked hard to protect the other as they navigated through the city. Soon they were running down the streets once more only for a monster to grip Aasim’s arm. 

Aasim screamed and fell over, causing the living dead to hover above him, its teeth moving closer to his flesh. Aasim blocked the attack with his torch. The monster’s teeth gnashed on the wood, trying to break free and towards its newest meal. Prisha ran forward and sliced wildly at the living dead, clipping the side of its head but not killing it. Aasim stood up and began to hit at the skull again and again, crying angrily as blood splattered across the torch and himself until the monster was dead. His chest heaved as he stood above his bloodied victim. 

“Aasim,” Prisha placed a hand on his shoulder but he didn’t register it. His focus was purely on the bow and arrow that the member of the living dead carried. Taking the weapon for himself, Aasim secured it on his body when his eyes caught sight off a vicious bite on the monster’s arm. “Aasim,” Prisha’s tone grew more serious, bringing her brother’s attention back onto the present situation.

Looking up, he saw seven monsters moving towards them. Pulling out an arrow, he notched it and aimed, hoping it would hit its mark true. Prisha looked unsure by it all. She knew as well as he did that he had never held a bow before in his life, just as she never held a blade. Yet here they were, desperate that some hidden talent would awaken in them and strike down these new enemies. Releasing his grip on the bowstring, Aasim sent the arrow flying, missing its mark and landed directly in a monster’s shoulder. 

Cursing furiously, Prisha grabbed Aasim’s hand once more and guided him to one of the gates that looked to be clear. Sprinting past dying men, women and children alike, the siblings felt their hearts ache as the fear began to consume them. They ran outside the gates - Aasim snatching a torch that stood by it - and made their way into the darkness of the night. Both siblings’ eyes stung with tears and their legs burned as they forced themselves to get as far away from the kingdom as possible. 

After what seemed like hours of running they stopped and collapsed onto the damp grass. Both of their faces were stained with tears. Dropping their weapons, they wrapped each other in a tight hug. Their bodies shook from the sheer force of their emotions. Neither of them spoke of the sights they had seen. Both were in too much shock to say anything.

“I’ll protect you,” Prisha whispered in Aasim’s ear then pulled back to look into her brother’s eyes. “I swear it. I won’t let what happened to-” She took a shaky breath, her throat tightening at the raw memory of her parent’s undead forms, “I won’t lose you.”   
“I will too,” Aasim’s eyes hardened with unyielding determination. “I’ll protect you no matter what!”

Prisha smiled at her brother and grabbed her sword before rising to her feet and holding out her hand. Aasim grabbed his torch and took her hand, stumbling up to his feet. The two siblings walked in tense silence, only glancing back once at their old home. It was now covered in smoky fires and the blood and guts of the citizens of the kingdom. Nothing was left for them there. 

They paused when they heard the unearthly groaning emitting around the open area that surrounded them. Walking faster and drawing their weapons, they came to a bitter realization of their newfound reality. All that awaited them out here was death. A death that they would postpone for as long as they could as they desperately tried to survive this new hell together.


	6. The Missing Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby gets called to the castle to meet the new king.

Ruby could feel the emotion swelling up inside her as she made her way to the throne room. With each step she got closer to the new king, son of the man who had unintentionally killed her mother. Ruby knew she shouldn’t hold any of this against the son of the previous king. He had no way of knowing that his father had been hiding a bite and in doing so ended up killing the healer who had been sent to help him. Ruby couldn’t imagine the weight of responsibility he must be burdened with. She did, however, know of the pain he had gone through. To see a loved one turned. To bury their decaying corpse, their eyes milky and lifeless. Ruby knew that all too well. 

Her footsteps echoed through the hallways as her eyes searched for the throne room. The young healer paused in her tracks when she felt her eyes stinging once more. They had been irritating her for a week now. A week filled with grief and misery only to be called to the castle to meet the new king. How she had been able to move forward after that day she was still unsure. All Ruby focused on was putting one foot in front of the other and hoped that was enough. She resisted the urge to rub her eyes as new tears pricked at them; it would only make them worse. After a minute she resumed her walk through the castle and soon her eyes fell upon the throne room doors. 

Once she stood in front of them, the two guards reached forward and opened the doors revealing the young king. His tired eyes glanced up and locked with Ruby’s. They looked the same as hers: red, swollen and lost beyond belief. Ruby could feel her anger rising. Yet with a deep breath she quenched it along with any other bitter emotions as she strolled forward. When she did, her eyes caught notice of a knight looking to be around the same age as the king. The blonde knight glanced up, her pale green eyes peering through short hair. Her expression seemed unreadable although Ruby could feel from the knight’s aura the wariness towards the healer. 

“Welcome,” The king’s voice drew Ruby’s attention back to the throne. He seemed to have a bright, calm smile on his face, yet it was a lie. Within his eyes were held his true emotions. Fear and a deep sadness. Emotions that Ruby was sure were prevalent in her eyes.

“You called for me, your highness,” Ruby did a deep curtsy to which the young king waved his hand dismissively.

“Please, there is no need for that.”

Ruby looked unconvinced by the king’s words but listened all the same. l“If I may ask, why did ya call for me?” Ruby’s question made the young king’s eyes grow large before he hid them behind his dreadlocks.

“I know of the pain my family has caused you. What my father did was unforgivable.”

Ruby remained silent, not wanting to share the part of her that agreed. Her fist slowly curled into a fist which caused the knight to move her hand to hover over her blade. The king picked up on the tension in an instant.

“Violet, please.” The king looked over at the knight who searched his face before backing away. “Sorry about Vi. I think everyone is just worried with me being king for only a week now.” 

“It’s fine,” Ruby mumbled and let her shoulders relax. There was nothing to gain from acting in anger but everything to lose if she did.

“I called upon you to ask for your help.” Louis looked up at Ruby guiltily. “I know it’s a shitty thing to ask after what happened with your mother. But I wish to make you the castle’s primary healer. Something my father failed to do with Ms. Martin.”

Ruby looked shocked by the offer. Her heart twisted around inside, conflicted by the kind offer and the overwhelming, raw emotions that came with it. 

“You would get free housing and three meals a day.” The king took a shaky breath. “I just want to keep the people of Ericson safe.”

Ruby considered the offer. She had no family left. Her mom had always been the only family she had ever known. She didn’t wish to return to the empty house filled with sad memories and the lost warmth of her one loved one. She looked up at the king once more, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw a steady stream of tears falling down his face. She could tell how deeply this was affecting him. She could feel her throat growing tight from her own swelling emotions.

“Alright. I’ll do it.” 

The king looked shocked by her answer, a genuinely relieved smile appearing on his lips at her confirmation. “Thank you.” He wiped away his tears and walked forward. “I completely forgot to introduce myself. I am Louis, fifth king of Ericson.” He smiled at Ruby.

“Ruby,” She curtsied again. “New healer for the castle.”

Louis gave a deep bow. “Thank you for taking this job upon yourself. I promise to be the best ruler I can for everyone in the kingdom of Ericson.” He straightened his back and paused for a moment, hesitant to say anything. After a moment he decided to go for it. “I will pay for the sins my father committed against you.”

“You can’t do that,” Ruby locked eyes with Louis. “Even though I still have a heaping level of bitterness toward you, I know it's ill-placed. Your father was the one who did wrong. Not you. That's why I’m gonna give you a chance.” Ruby’s statement surprised King Louis who took a step back from disbelief at her words. She could tell from his presence that he was a kind fella. His heart was in the right place with how he held himself. That was enough for her to give this a chance. 

“Well then, I can get someone to escort you to your room,” Louis looked around and stopped when he noticed the knight.

“Violet, could you show Lady Ruby to her room?”

Violet simply nodded and walked forward. The two turned and were about to leave when they heard the king’s voice again.

“Oh, in the morning I wish for you to meet the rest of the knights. They will be practicing in the training yard. They usually are the ones sacrificing the most to keep the people of the Kingdom of Ericson safe so they tend to get the most injuries and bring back any survivors we may find outside these walls.”

Ruby glanced back at the king and gave a short nod, a faint smile on her lips. “I’ll do just that.” With that Ruby was off, following Violet who seemed not to be a talkative type. She remained quiet all the way to the healer’s quarters, only speaking when they had arrived.

“The training yard is accessible by going through that door and heading west. You know you’re there when you hear the sound of swords.” The knight gestured over to a narrow wooden door. 

Ruby nodded in understanding and gave a warm smile. “Thank you. It was very kind of you to show me to my quarters.”

Violet looked surprised by that, her large eyes growing larger before turning away. “It’s no big deal.” She turned around and began to make her way down the hall when all of a sudden she paused. Her head turned slightly to the right, her eyes hidden behind her hair. “I’m sorry for your loss.” Without another word the knight continued down her path, leaving the young healer alone in her room. 

Ruby entered the room and sat down on the bed. It was far fancier than anything she’d had before. On the bedside table was a pitcher of water and a glass. She fell back onto the bed, her head hitting the soft surface with a muffled sound. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Now that she was alone she was finally free to her thoughts and with that her emotions.

Tears began to prick at the healer’s eyes as she rubbed them furiously. She didn’t care anymore about appearances. All she could feel was the deep, overwhelming pain of loss and the isolation that surrounded it. True, she now had a new roof over her head, but that didn’t make it a home. A small part of her feared it never would become that. That this would simply be a means of survival in the new hell this world had become over four years ago.

Her hand blindly rummaged through her pocket as her heart twisted and ached in pain. Her searching only became more desperate as the tears blocked her sight until she felt the cold steel touch her fingertips. Pulling it out, Ruby held an iron brooch, broken roughly down the middle. The small, intricate designs on the edges along with the circle shape gave the item the look of a small shield. Ruby had always viewed it as such and so in a way that's what it became. 

Whenever she felt scared or overwhelmed she would hold onto the broken brooch. A memento her mother had told her was left on a doorstep with Ruby. An attached note said that it had belonged to her birth parents. After a few minutes of moving the brooch in between her fingers and holding it tightly against her chest the emotions lessened, giving Ruby a break from the sharp pain she had felt and enough energy to will herself to crawl under the covers and sleep until the sun called forth a new day. 

\-----

It was early morning when a knock appeared on her door. A young, male voice called out from behind it.

“Excuse me. Sorry if I woke you, but I’ve come to gather you to meet the knights.” 

“That’s quite alright,” Ruby reassured. She could hear a small breath escape the lips of whoever was behind that door. There was a short pause before the voice spoke again.

“Are you decent or shall I wait in the hallway?”   
“Just give me a few and I’ll be right out.” Ruby pushed back the covers and let her feet touch the cold stone floor.

“Oh, right. Of course. I’ll… I’ll just be in the hall.”

Ruby moved around the room and got ready for the day. Brushing through her hair and putting it in a tight bun, she then moved to put on the new clothes that had been gifted to her by the castle before tucking away the brooch in her medical pouch that she slung around her shoulder. She looked at the pouch for a moment, wondering if it would really be necessary to bring. 

That doubt was soon washed from her mind when she reminded herself that nothing was a guarantee now in this world except death and pain. With a deep, cleansing breath she pushed open the door, revealing a new knight. He had blonde hair like the previous knight Ruby had met but his eyes were piercing blue and there was a different aura to him. A more commanding one yet somehow tempered all the same. He gave a casual smile her way.

“You set?”

“Yep,” 

He smiled once again and walked down the hallway as Ruby walked alongside him.

“I’m sure this is all a lot to take in right now. But I assure you that you’ll come to like the castle. It may take some time but you’ll see we’re all striving for the same goal.” He looked over at Ruby who had a curious expression on her face. “To protect the innocent and those we care for.”

Ruby nodded along as the knight continued. 

“I’m Marlon,” He placed a hand to his chest. “New Commander of Knights. I’ll be sure to introduce the others when we reach the training yard.” Marlon strode forward, causing Ruby to bustle along just to keep up. He talked here and there of the different people of the castle and which rooms were important to remember. Ruby’s head spun with all the new information but she was glad all the same to have such a nice guide.

\-----

Minnie could feel the sweat dripping down her face as she glanced over at her opponent. Brody stood there, her feet firmly planted on the ground. Brody had always been known for her defense. Even without her full body shield she was still a sturdy, relentless wall when it came to blocking attacks. Minnie would have to rely on her strength and speed to win this duel or else Brody would wait for her to be drained of her energy and strike.

Minnie tried to look for an opening in her comrade’s stance when out of the corner of her eye she noticed Renata walking alongside Tripp, the castle’s lead blacksmith. She looked petite next to the man that nearly held a full foot of height over her. He was talking rather quickly while Renata jotted down notes. Minnie could feel her heartbeat quicken when she saw Renata. They had been together for nearly six months yet each day that the knight was with her she felt the same intensity of emotions. How the court jester somehow made Minnie’s heart feel both the heaviest with the feelings she held for Renata and the lightest by how freeing it felt to be with her. 

Minnie could feel an idea formulating in her head in that moment. Her competitive side started to come to the forefront in her mind. She was going to beat Brody in this duel and do it in such a way that would impress Renata. With that thought driving her, Minnie dashed forward, swinging her wooden sword down toward Brody only for it to be blocked. That didn’t deter the knight who sent a lower hit that was blocked once again before sending a mighty kick that Brody barely blocked in time, skidding on the grass, tearing and pulling it up from its roots before she stopped in front of a tree. Not wasting a second, Minnie sprinted forward, tossing the sword in her hand and catching it with her other in an attempt to impress only to fail to notice a rock in the training yard that stood in her way. Tripping over it, Minnie was sent flying and crashed headfirst into the tree.

“Minnie!” Brody turned sharply on her heel and dropped her wooden sword to check on her friend. Violet and Sophie who had been watching the duel and waiting for their turn ran over to check on Minnie as well. Minnie let out a pained groan as she fell onto the grass. 

“You’re bleeding,” Brody exclaimed, her eyes darting around for anything that could help. Minnie reached up a hand and searched blindly before it landed on her left eyebrow that stung from her touch. 

“Minnie!” Sophie knelt beside her twin. “Why were you pulling a move like that? There’s no way in hell a move like that would work in an actual battle.”

“She was looking at Renata,” Violet stated simply, a smirk clear on her face.

“Oh,” Sophie nodded her head. “That would make sense.” 

“Looks like she didn’t notice though,” Violet motioned over with her head to the court jester who was still focused on whatever task she and Tripp were working on. 

Minnie glanced up before letting her head fall with an annoyed groan.

“It was pretty stupid.” Violet’s statement made Minnie glance over her way.

“Oh shut up. You’d do the same if you had a girl.”

Violet looked over with wide eyes then glanced away, her face a shade of deep pink.

“Alright, alright you two.” Sophie held up her hands. “Let’s not fight over that. Minnie was just acting with her heart and that led her to hit a tree.”

“Hey,” Minnie glared up at her twin with a deep level of embarrassment in her eyes.

Before anyone could say any more a door opened and revealed their commander and a short girl with fiery red hair.

“What happened?’ Marlon strolled forward, a look of concern in his eyes when he saw the deep scratch over Minnie’s left eyebrow.

“We were dueling and one thing led to another,” Brody nervously played with some item attached to her cape in hopes of calming her nerves.

“One thing led to another and Minnie tripped and hit a tree.” Sophie finished.

“Okay, well - Ruby, could you take a look at her injury?”

Ruby blinked at the request, still rather surprised that her first assignment as head healer of the castle would happen so soon. “Sure. It’s a good thing I brought my medical pouch after all.” Ruby patted her pouch with a warm smile. “If you’d just follow me,” Her voice was directed towards Minnie who nodded and rose up only to stumble for a moment. It seemed that she was still a bit dazed from her collison with the tree. 

Brody jogged over and held her friend’s side. “I can help.” she offered with a smile which Minnie returned.

“Alright, while that's happening, Violet, Sophie, prepare for your duel.” Marlon instructed. The other two knights immediately went to grab the wooden swords. As the duel began and the sound of wooden swords clashing against each other rang out through the training yard, Ruby guided the other two knights to a place to set down Minnie. 

“Right here is fine,” Ruby smiled and Brody nodded, gingerly setting down her friend who looked more embarrassed than anything else. Ruby leaned forward, carefully examining the gash with calm hands. Silently she began to thread a needle, making Minnie visibly uncomfortable.

“You scared of needles?” Ruby glanced over at the knight who shook her head. 

“No, but I fucking hate stitches. They gross me out.”

“Well then, just avoid any puddle of water or mirror to look into,” Ruby teased, causing a small laugh to escape Brody’s lips. Ruby glanced over at the auburn knight who gave an apologetic look Minnie’s way. She smiled at the sight. It was clear that these knights deeply cared for each other. 

Ruby was about to return to her task when she noticed the item Brody had been playing with. There pinned to her cape was an identical brooch to Ruby’s. It had the same detail, size and shape. The only difference was that it was the opposite side to Ruby’s brooch. Ruby stared at the brooch for a moment too long, causing Brody to notice her staring before the healer glanced away.

“Well, dontcha worry. I’ll have ya fixed in a jiff,” Ruby reassured and resumed her work. Quickly threading the needle, she rubbed some sort of liquid on Minnie’s wound that she said would clean it and numb the pain. After a few speedy stitches the job was complete. “There ya go.”

“Thanks,” Minnie offered a gentle smile and rose to her feet, making her way back to what was a rather heated yet equal duel as both Violet and Sophie got in some good strikes. Brody was about to follow her comrade when Ruby’s voice made her pause.

“Wait a minute,” Ruby jumped to her feet. Brody stopped in her tracks and looked back.

“Is something wrong?”   
“No, no. It’s just…” Ruby paused, her eyes downcast for a moment. “I was wondering where you got that brooch.”

Brody followed the healer’s gaze and let her hand brush against it. “I got it from my adoptive mother,” A warm smile played on the knight’s lips. “She’s no longer of this world,” Brody’s expression grew heavy. “But she told me it belonged to my birth mother. It’s pretty weird to hold onto a broken brooch, but it means a lot to me.”

“I don’t believe it,” Ruby whispered. She ran over to her medical bag and held out her broken brooch. “I received this from my adoptive mother. She told me it belonged to  _ my _ birth mother.” Brody’s eyes grew large. The two remained silent as Brody undid her brooch and moved to connect it with Ruby’s. When she did so, it was clear the pair was a perfect match, everything down to the pattern and where the cracks lined up. Both of them stared at it in disbelief.

Ruby shook her head, her mind spinning at what was happening. 

“What could this mean?’ Brody looked at the brooch then back to Ruby.

“This may sound crazy, but with how everything is in the world now maybe it won't sound as nuts.” Ruby began before stopping to take a deep breath. “I think we may be sisters.”


	7. The Taste of Iron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlon gets assigned a task by the king to scout out the northern area past the Kingdom of Ericson.

Marlon felt his mind racing as he placed his hands on the wooden table. His eyes wandered over to stare at the burned map that stood on it. There standing in the middle of it was the Kingdom of Ericson. A small sketch of a castle stood as a symbol of the kingdom. To the west as far as the burnt map had to offer was an overwhelming amount of greenery that to the Commander of Knights’ guess was the Deep forest. A forest that held many secrets to it and rumors. He remembered the tales his father once spoke of it. How monsters lurked deep within the woods and how they would trick young children into wandering into it in the night. 

Marlon shook his head and his sight traveled over to the southern section of the map. Completely lost and forgotten. Moving towards the east was the Kingdom of Howes, now a graveyard of the citizens and the king who had fallen to a wicked scheme. Marlon’s frown grew deeper on his face, a bitterness entering his gut at the memories of what had transpired only a week ago. To think that Sophie had nearly been executed and that King Carlos had been trying to pull the strings in his favor in such a dishonest way. Only for it to end in his kingdom becoming overrun by walkers.The whole thing had been a nightmare. Before he could linger on the thought for any longer, the door opened revealing King Louis and his advisor Aasim. 

“Sorry we’re late,” Aasim apologized as they walked forward into the strategy room, carrying a few spare scrolls and quills.

“Preparation for the funeral took longer than expected,” Louis’ didn’t bother to look at his best friend but Marlon could tell that it weighed heavy on the young king’s heart. He couldn’t blame him. A few days after they had brought back the survivors of the Kingdom of Howes they returned to the walker infested ruins in hopes that they would find livestock and other sources of food to help feed the people of Ericson who were already hungry along with its newest citizens. The raid on the fallen kingdom had been a success in terms of procuring livestock. Pigs, cows, chickens and goats were secured and brought back safely in the carts. But it had not been without cost. Five guards had been injured, three of whom did not complete the journey behind the walls of Ericson. Instead they roamed aimlessly in a fallen kingdom surrounded by death and rot alike. 

“That’s alright,” Marlon rose up and straightened his back. “I’ve got the map for us,” He gestured to the table and Aasim shook his head with annoyance.

“I really wish that more than one copy of the map of this area had survived the horrible breach the kingdom experienced nearly two years.”

“We lost a lot that day,” Marlon’s throat was tight as images resurfaced in his mind. Those of him finding the bloodied and dismembered figure of one of the last remaining knights of old who was a mentor to him and other young knights. How Sophie struggled against Omid’s walker form, nearly getting bitten only to be saved by Violet who became drenched in Omid’s blood. “But this,” he gestured to the map, “Only adds to the misery.”

“At least we have a copy,” Louis’ hand brushed against the rough surface of the map, his fingers scraping on the burnt edges. “Even if it's burnt to shit.”

“Well,” Aasim placed down his scrolls and quills. “That’s the reason why we’re gathered here today. We can’t simply rely on the supplies hidden in the lost Kingdom of Howes.”

“I agree,” Louis nodded and took a deep breath. “Going there was extremely risky and two of our strongest knights are still injured. We need to venture out and see what our options are.”

“To see if there are any other kingdoms nearby still standing?” Marlon raised an eyebrow as he looked over at his king.

“That's right,”

“It would be the wisest call. Considering that the talks I’ve had with Louis have made it clear that his father rarely made alliances since the living dead have appeared.” Aasim added as his eyes scanned the map.

“My father only ever tried to make a treaty with King Carver, but that was at the beginning and with how he went about it….” Louis’s voice faltered. He still remembered the inappropriate use of the fallen knights’ deaths his father had used to get in the good graces of the Kingdom of Wellington. It hadn’t done Ericson much good. “The point is we need to know who is out there so we can strike a treaty with them. That’s why I called you in, Marlon.” Louis glanced over at his friend.

“You want me to ride out and scan the area?” Marlon placed his hands on his hips.

“Yes, and I want you to take two others with you.”  
“If you and some of the other knights ride out and check on the surrounding areas to bring information back to me, I may be able to make a new, more accurate map.” Aasim gestured to one of the scrolls he had rolled out and placed beside the map.

“Alright, I’m fine with that.” Marlon gave a firm nod. His mind worked to try and figure out who he would bring with him. Brody and Sophie were still injured so they were not currently choices., leaving him with three options. It felt best to leave Minnie behind as a strong rear guard and because she had a loved one who was injured. “I’ll take Violet and Clem with me. Which area should we scout first?”

Louis looked surprised by the question. It was clear that he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“If I may give my opinion,” Aasim’s voice drew over the other two’s attention. “I think it would be best to focus on the northern section of the map.” He gestured to that portion of the map. There was barely anything there. “There is so much unknown of that area, but that gives it the most potential for something to be found.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Louis nodded.

“Alright,” Marlon took a step back. “I’ll let Violet and Clem know at once.”  
“Thank you,” Louis placed his hand on Marlon’s shoulder and gave a warm smile. The Commander of Knights immediately returned it before moving towards the door. He hoped that this journey would go well.

\------

Violet sat down beside her fellow knights, enjoying the cool breeze on this hot day. A loud laugh from Sophie made the blonde knight glance up from her bowl of stew. Sophie had been telling an old tale, one about the knights of Old and how Lee had slipped on a puddle of water on the floor only to get up and fall on his butt once again two seconds later. Clem smiled and laughed along as well only to pause when Sophie winced in pain. Sophie’s hand wandered over to her side where crimson red was appearing anew on her bandages.

“Oh, damn it,” Sophie grumbled. “Ruby is gonna be pissed.”

“Especially since you reopened your wound from laughing too hard,” Minnie shook her head goodnaturedly at her twin.

“Hopefully this doesn’t make her revoke our rights to walk around and sit with you guys.” Brody let out a long sigh. She loved her sister and knew that she had her best interests at heart, but the auburn knight had been getting antsy being cooped up in the medical ward.

“Nah, she wouldn’t do that,” Sophie waved her hand dismissively then paused. “Would she?”  
“Yeah, she would,” Violet replied and tossed the rest of her roll in her mouth.

“We could just say it was wine and-” Sophie started to formulate a wild lie only to stop when she noticed a few kids wandering over towards them. “Oh hey, aren’t those the kids from Howes?”

The other knights looked over at Sophie before following her finger that pointed at four kids nervously making their way over. Each of them seemed to be hiding something behind their backs. A girl with long black hair looked around rather anxiously until she spotted Violet and waved excitedly. Violet waved back, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. 

“Come on, Frederick,” the girl looked over to the boy with sandy brown hair and a dust of freckles and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. It only took a second for Minnie to realize it was the kid she had saved when she had first rode into the fallen kingdom. 

“Ryia, wait!” Frederick pleaded as he struggled to keep up with her. One of his hands still remained tucked behind his back. The two other kids followed close behind Ryia’s lead and soon all four of them were standing before the knights. 

“Hey there,” Clementine smiled up at the kids. “What brings you over here?”

Ryia bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet, trying to get up her courage. “We, umm….” She looked away then back at the knights. Without a word she walked forward and stopped in front of Violet. “I made you a flower crown!” she exclaimed, her eyes shut tight in fear that the knight would reject it. 

“You made this for me?” Violet’s soft, gentle voice made Ryia peek open her eyes to see the knight who looked truly touched by the gift.

“That’s right!” Ryia nodded wildly. “To say thanks for saving me and being so brave.” Without warning, Ryia leaned forward and placed the flower crown composed of vibrant yellow freesias on Violet’s head. Violet looked alarmed for a moment, flinching slightly from the sudden movement but immediately resumed her composed state. Her hand reached up and brushed the flower buds.

“You like it?” Ryia’s question pulled Violet's attention away from her flower crown and towards the young child. 

“Yeah,”

Violet’s simple answer made Ryia jump up for joy. She ran over to the other kids, pulling on their shirts. “She liked it! She liked it!”

Frederick’s eyes grew large before he took a deep breath, a determined look in his eyes. “I-” His voice faltered out, his nerves getting the better of him. “I made one for you too!” he declared a bit too loudly towards Minnie, his tiny voice cracking near the end. 

Minnie looked surprised by that news only to grow even more so when the young boy held out a flower crown built with soft purple asters. Minnie remained quiet, still in shock from this gift she was receiving. 

“I-is it okay if I place it on your head?” Frederick’s eyes shook nervously.

“Sure,” Minnie leaned her head forward and accepted the flower crown that Frederick delicately placed on her head. The other knights smiled at the two knights now admiring their flower crowns with pride.

“Seems like you two are quite the popular knights,” Clementine teased, causing Minnie and Violet to become shy and overwhelmed by the gifts they had received. 

“We made some too!” the other boy spoke up. His sharp blue eyes looked around at the knights before he strolled forward and held out a flower crown for Clementine. In his hands was a flower crown made from yellow roses. Their bright yellow complimented Clementine’s features as she placed it on her head with a warm smile.

“Thank you. It's very kind of you.”

The young boy shook his head. “You saved my brother’s life.” His face fell for a moment as he looked over at Brody. “He’s the one that gotcha hurt. He’s really sorry about that.”

Brody looked shocked by that information but soon a gentle smile returned to her face. “I know. He was just scared.”

“I made you one too!” A young boy ran over and quickly placed a beautiful flower crown of white poppies delicately twisted together. Brody glanced at the crown then smiled back at the boy.

“This is awful sweet of you. Thank you.”

The young boy nodded and hid his face away for a moment before flashing the biggest grin. “I’m the best flower crown maker ever!”  
The other younger kids didn’t seem happy with that statement but were quickly silenced when the last girl spoke up. “Don’t be sad.”

The knights looked confused by the statement then followed the girl’s gaze to Sophie who quickly felt everyone’s eyes on her. The redheaded knight shed her small frown and replaced it with a bright smile. “Oh, I’m not sad. I’m just admiring all of the lovely flower crowns you all made.”

“I made some too.” The little girl walked forward. Her hands shot out and revealed a white carnation flower crown. Sophie’s eyes danced with excitement as she accepted the crown that got placed on her head. An excited giggle left her lips as she reached up a hand to feel the flower crown.

“You guys sure worked hard on these,” Clementine’s voice drew everyone’s attention to the youngest knight. “We really appreciate it.”  
The rest of the knights chimed in, giving their own share of thanks and compliments. 

“There’s another knight, right?” Frederick stopped forward. 

“We made a crown for him too,” Ryia added.

“Oh yeah,” Sophie nodded her head. “Marlon is a bit busy right now but you could just give us the flower-” Sophie’s sentence was cut short when her eyes wandered over towards the western street. “Well, seems like you can give the crown to him yourselves,” She pointed over towards Marlon who was strolling forward, a serious expression on his face.

“Vi, Clem. I need to speak to you.” Marlon stated simply. His tone made it clear that it was important.

“Alright,” Violet rose from her spot, Clementine soon doing the same, and made their way over to their commander. Marlon was about to turn to leave when he felt a tiny hand pull at his armor. Glancing down, he saw all four kids in front of him.

“We…. ummm….” Frederick looked nervous. “We made you a flower crown to say thanks for helping us.” All four kids held out the flower crown in front of them, composed of yellow gladiolus. Marlon’s eyes widened in surprise before softening, touched by the kind gesture. Slowly he knelt down before them and leaned forward his head. The kids gasped and worked together to place the flower crown on his head. 

Marlon rose up and smiled warmly down at the kids. “Thank you. I’ll treasure this.”

The kids all smiled at each other and danced at the success of their flower crowns. With one final smile, Marlon turned and led the other two knights away. Once at a fair distance, he spoke up. “Louis wants us to scout the northern area outside the Kingdom of Ericson so that Aasim can make a new map.”

“Alright,” Violet shrugged. 

“When do we ride out?” Clementine asked, her eyes looking towards Marlon.

“At once. The horses are already set at the stables. I’ll give you a few minutes to gather your things.”

Clementine and Violet nodded and the three knights separated.

After ten minutes they stood before the stables, Orion, Karma and Oblivion already itching to go. Karma’s hooves scraped against the stone street as Clementine led her out. Marlon readjusted his water flask on his saddle when he heard a friendly familiar voice behind him.

“Be careful.”

He spun around to find Sophie smiling at him.

“Sophie,” Marlon’s face immediately brightened up. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”  
“Yeah, but I wanted to say goodbye before you left,” She grabbed his hand, causing his heart to skip a beat. “Just come back safe, alright? It would suck if both of us got stuck on bed rest.”

“True, but I would get to spend more time with you.”

Sophie shook her head and chuckled. “You can spend all the time you want with me without getting injured.”

“I’ll be careful. I’ll make sure we all get back safely.” Marlon’s statement made Sophie’s smile grow as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

“I should get back before Ruby realizes I’m gone.” Sophie gave his hand one final squeeze then turned to leave. Marlon watched Sophie walk away for a moment. His heart felt saddened that he’d have to go out without her, especially since it hadn’t even been a week since he confessed his feelings for her and she had reciprocated them. Shaking his head, he forced himself back to the task at hand and went back to work double checking things. 

Clementine brushed her hands soothingly over Karma’s mane. Her horse neighed appreciatively and shook her head. “Ready for another adventure?” she asked her horse with a sweet tone.

“Hopefully a safe adventure.” Louis’ voice made Clementine glance back at Louis who was fiddling with his crown. 

“I’m sure it will be.”

“Yeah, you gotta share some tales from it when you get back.” Louis smiled over at the knight in a way that made her heart swell. Clementine glanced away, focusing on her task at hand.

“That’s if anything interesting happens.”

“I’m sure it will. Something interesting is bound to happen when you’re around,” Louis’ words made Clementine look over with a warm smile that made his heart stop. The two remained quiet for a moment before Louis awkwardly cleared his throat. “Everyone already knows you’re heading out, right?”

“Yep. We all said goodbye to the other knights and I promised AJ I’d practice sword fighting with him when I return.”

“That’s good. If you want I could practice sword fighting with him.” Louis’ suggestion made Clementine raise an eyebrow. “But you know I would be the student in that case and he would be the teacher.”

Clementine chuckled at the king’s words, making him laugh as well.

“I’m sure he’d enjoy a new sparring buddy.”

“Yeah,” Louis’ eyes lit up. “Maybe I’ll ask him.” Louis paused for a moment, unsure what else to say. “Well, I should get going.”  
“Louis,”

“Yeah, Clem?” Louis looked back at the knight and was met with a warm hug. Louis was taken aback for a moment then returned the hug. A soft chuckle escaped the young king’s lips.

“Are we making this a tradition? Goodbye hugs?”  
“Yeah. I like them.” Clem’s statement surprised not only the king but herself. Her heartbeat was racing in her ears. It was no different for the king who tightened the hug.

“Me too.” He took a step back from the knight. “I need to say my goodbyes to the others.”

“Right,” Clementine smiled and returned to her task, hoping it would calm her heart.

Violet calmly searched her pouch, making sure there were enough supplies for the trip. When she turned around she noticed Prisha standing there. The knight’s face immediately brightened when she saw the alchemist. “It won’t be a long trip. We’re just scouting the area for the day,” Violet looked over at Prisha who always seemed composed wherever she was. But Violet could always notice the worry hidden deep within her eyes whenever Violet left the walls of the kingdom.

“I know. Just be cautious. There's no telling what could be out there.” 

“Always,” Violet leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the alchemist's cheek. The small gesture made both of their hearts soar. Violet turned and got up onto Orion and was about to place on her helmet when Prisha spoke again.

“I hope you return by the evening. I found a lovely spot to watch the evening sky,” 

Prisha’s words made Violet’s eyes dance with excitement. “I’ll be back by then,” Violet shared one last loving look with Prisha then placed on her helmet and guided Orion towards Oblivion and Karma who were also waiting patiently for their riders to issue the order to leave. Marlon gave a reassuring pat to Oblivion who snorted in response when he noticed Louis standing beside the horse.

“Just scout the area. Don’t do anything reckless,” Louis looked up at his friend.

“Of course. We should be back by the late evening, early morning by the latest.” Marlon gave his friend a reassuring smile. “Ruby gave me plenty of bandages should we run into any trouble.” He patted the medical pouch on Oblivion’s saddle with a smile.

“Okay,” Louis’ attention turned away from Marlon when he noticed Violet making her way over on her horse. “Oh, Vi! I forgot to give you a goodbye hug!”  
“That’s a shame,” Violet’s expression was lost behind her helmet.

“Oh well, I’ll just have to give you the biggest reunion hug when you get back.” Louis had a happy grin on his face and even though Violet’s face was hidden he could imagine the look on her face.

“Alright, Violet, Clementine. We’re heading out.” Marlon’s calm, commanding voice cut off the conversation and made the other knights join his side. Pulling the reins, Marlon motioned for Oblivion to start moving. The three knights rode off in a trot, exiting the safety of the kingdom and venturing out into the great unknown.

\-----

It was a fairly pleasantly albeit boring ride at first. Nothing stood out to the eyes of the knights. Trees and wild plants grew along the sides of the roads while mindless walkers groaned and walked around aimlessly, any of which died swiftly by a blade when they got within reach of the knights. After around an hour of silently riding through the area, Violet lifted off her helmet and swiped away the sweat on her face.

“It’s so fucking hot.”

“Yeah, it is a rather sunny day,” Clementine said in agreement as she glanced up to the sky. The knights rode in silence again until they heard Marlon start to whistle. It only took them a second to realize he was whistling to the tune of “My Maiden Rose”. Soon Clementine joined along, humming along and causing Marlon to glance back with a smile. After a few seconds he began to sing a section of the song. 

“I sing of a maiden, 

A beautiful, delicate rose,

Who's stolen my heart anew 

Each time a tender glance she does bestow.” 

Marlon’s warm tenor voice filled the emptiness of the road. He bopped his head this way and that and continued through the lyrics until reaching the end. He looked over to Violet who rode in silence.

“Don’t feel like singing today, Vi?”

Violet glanced over at her friend then back on the road, her eyes catching onto the sight of a walker who was staring rather thoughtfully at a weird tree branch. With a mighty swing she sliced the monster’s head clean in two. 

“It helps pass the time,” Marlon offered with a smile. “You can just imagine it's about Prisha.”

Violet’s face grew bright red at those words. She looked away from the Commander of the Knights. “Shut up.” She gently kicked her heels against Orion’s sides, causing the horse to trot faster. Marlon and Clementine soon joined her pace. Marlon continued to hum the tune as they strolled along the empty road.

“Marlon,” Clementine’s voice made Marlon glance over to the youngest knight.

“Mm?” Marlon glanced over before grabbing his water flask and taking a long sip.

“When you sing that song now is it about Sophie?”

Her question made Marlon pause, his face taking on a light pink. “Well, I-”

“It’s always been about Sophie.” Violet stated simply, a smirk on her face. That statement made Marlon nearly choke on the water he was drinking.

He glanced over at Violet with an annoyed expression. He coughed for a while and cleared his throat.

“It was pretty obvious. Sophie was just too oblivious to notice.” Violet added, her body swaying slightly left and right as Orion rode on.

“Oh, like how whenever Sophie sang “Winds of Destiny” it was obviously about Marlon.” Clementine commented.

“She glanced over his way enough whenever she sang it,” Violet nodded in agreement.

“Wait? Really?” Marlon looked pleasantly surprised by this but was also starting to get overwhelmed. So he decided to shift the focus on someone else. “So, Clem. Do you fancy any maiden or lad?”

The question surprised Clem for a moment before her mind was filled with images of Louis. She turned her face away, causing Marlon and Violet to share a look.

“You have feelings for someone?” Violet’s voice had a playful edge to it.

“I have to focus on my duties,” Clementine mumbled and sliced down a walker that was edging a bit too close for comfort.

“Holy shit,” Marlon whispered. “It’s someone we know.”

“W-what?” Clementine’s eyes shot over to the other two knights. 

“Oh, it is?” Violet smiled over at Clementine who was starting to get overwhelmed by everything.

“I….” Clementine couldn’t think of anything to throw off the conversation.

“Do you care to share?” Marlon smiled over Clementine. “You don't have to say names. You could just hum the tune to either song and at least let us know whether it be a maiden or lad.”

Clementine thought about the suggestion but soon felt it would narrow down the options too quickly. She didn’t want the other knights to pick up her unrequited feelings towards King Louis. It was a love that would remain as such. Any marriage a royal had was and always would be for political or strategic gain. Besides, a knight would never be a suitable love for a king.

Clementine remained quiet and her eyes looked away from her friends when she suddenly noticed a village nearby.

“We should stop by there and ask if they know anything of the area.” Clementine’s suggestion made the other two knights glance over to the village.

“Alright. It would also give our horses a break.” Marlon led the way and within ten minutes they were within the village. The three knights got down from their steeds and tied them to a post before walking around the village. All three of them spoke with the village people and asked if they knew anything of value about this northern area. After about an hour of remaining in the village the three knights reconfigured at the post. 

“It seems like there are a handful of villages a few miles further north,” Clementine began the discussion. 

“I heard that there’s also a forest a short distance away from here.” Violet added.

“I heard of that too,” Marlon placed his hand on his chin. “They spoke of how there used to be something beyond it. A community, but they don’t recall anything of that community.”

“Should we continue to ride north for a while?” Clementine looked over to her commander.

“I think that would be best. We can reach the other villages and if we have a chance check out the forest and see how deep it runs, determine if it is worth going through to reach a fabled community.”

With that the knights set out once again onto the road. They continued with small, casual conversations, wondering how the other knights were faring in the kingdom.

“Sophie totally got caught,” Clementine shook her head. “Shouldn’t have snuck out again after she pulled her stitches laughing.”

“I bet Ruby is chewing her out while Brody is trying to calm things down,” Violet gave a light laugh. “Knowing Minnie she’s probably just watching it all go down.”

That thought made all of them laugh as they continued to talk. Soon they came across the next village where they stopped to stretch their feet and gather more information. It seemed to all be the same as what they had heard in the last village save for one piece of information. That the village ahead hadn’t been heard from in a while, seemingly now an empty spot where the living dead roamed. But when the knights had asked if that village had been overrun by the walkers they were met with mixed responses. Some villagers thought that to be the case while others swore that they had friends there who simply disappeared. 

“It was as if they were whisked away by some unnatural force. I fear a sorceress may have tempted them and stolen them away.” A villager spoke with a shaky voice. Violet remained quiet at their guess and simply nodded, mumbling a thanks before leaving. Within minutes they were back on their horses and rode to the next village. They were prepared to be faced with a small horde of walkers but were met with only a measly five that roamed around, most of them tripping and falling over small obstacles in their way. It was quick work to wipe out those five members of the living dead. Once they were done Marlon glanced up at the sky and saw that it was a warm orange hue. 

“We could head back,” Marlon offered. “We have a good amount of information. Or we could travel through the forest and get a good gauge of how large it may be and then turn back.”  
“I say we look in the forest. See if it's worth pursuing past it for that community,” Clementine suggested. Violet nodded in agreement.

“We have time before we need to turn back to still get home by late evening.”

“Alright,” Marlon nodded and led the way into the forest. They rode around for an hour or so there. The woods held an air of mystery to them as odd sounds emitted from its depths. The light soon was fading above them and Malron figured they should turn back when he noticed a small farmhouse in the distance. Curious as to why a single farm house was in the woods, he rode forward. Once the three knights got nearby, the front door opened and a redheaded woman bustled out and gave a friendly wave.

“Hello there!” She called out to the knights. “Are y’all lost?”

“No,” Marlon stopped Oblivion when he was near the farm house. “We are simply passing through.” He offered a warm smile over to the lady.

“Well, you must be hungry traveling through these woods,” The lady smiled over at the three knights. “Me and my two boys were just preparing for supper.”

“There is no need to trouble yourself,” Clementine commented with a smile on her face. 

“It’s not trouble at all,” The lady turned back to the farm house. “Danny, Andy, get your butts out here and say hello.”

After a moment of silence two men walked forward. Both of them made the knights feel on edge. But they weren’t sure if it was simply first impressions or a wise call from their instincts. 

“Hello,” Andy nodded. “Danny and I will work on helping Ma with supper if you would just chop some wood for the fire.”

Marlon glanced over at Violet and Clementine who looked surprised that these people were already preparing to feed them even though they hadn’t accepted the offer. Before they could decline their stomachs began to growl, causing the lady to give a hearty chuckle.

“You must be famished. My name is Brenda Saint John.”

Marlon got down from Oblivion, tying the reins to a tree. Violet and Clementine soon did the same. “I’m Marlon, Commanding Knight of the Kingdom of Ericson. This is Clementine and Violet, my fellow knights,” He gestured over to Clementine and Violet. Clementine gave a short smile while Violet simply took off her helmet and gave a nod. 

“Well, it’s nice to meetcha,” Brenda smiled widely. “You know,” she looked back at her sons, “I only need one of you boys' help. So Danny, why don’t you help them with the chores.”

Danny looked at his mother and gave a short nod then strolled over. “You can start by chopping the wood.”

Marlon and the other knights nodded and followed along. They figured it was the least they could do to get a meal. After all, they had barely eaten all day and were still set for a long ride back. Violet and Clementine worked to gather the logs while Marlon began to chop them. All the while Danny watched in silence, his attention purely on a crossbow. 

“You seem to like that crossbow,” Marlon noted as he swung down the axe again, cutting a log clean in two.

“There’s nothing like a good weapon. It’ll always have your back,” Danny gently caressed the crossbow. The action made Marlon and the others take pause for a minute. It didn’t take long for them to feel like something was off here. The family seemed nice, but all of them could still feel an unnerving sensation in their guts. When Danny had stepped away for a moment, Marlon turned to talk to his friends.

“Something’s off around here.” Marlon whispered, glancing up at the sky that was turning a deep, dark blue. 

“I agree. It seems odd for a family of three to offer food to a group of the same size.” Clementine glanced over and studied the farm house. “I’m also not sure how they have that amount of food on hand at a moment’s notice.”

“Danny is a weirdo,” Violet mumbled, her arms crossed. “They all seem off. They were too happy to have us as guests.”

“Yeah,” Marlon quieted down when he noticed both brothers making their way over. “Let's just be cautious going forward.”

Violet and Clementine nodded in agreement and remained silent when Danny and Andy appeared. 

“Supper should be ready in a few. There’s a wash basin over by the barn. Ma wants you to wash up before eating,” Andy pointed over to the water basin. 

“Okay,” Marlon smiled over at the brothers. “We appreciate everything.”

“Just wait until you have supper,” Danny’s face took an unnerving smile. “It will be an unbelievable meal. The most delicate slices of meat.”

“Ma’s cooking is the best,” Andy smiled in agreement, practically drooling at the thought of food. “We'd better set up the table.”

“Alright,” Marlon nodded and waited for the brothers to leave before letting out a deep breath.

“They’re so creepy,” Violet moved forward and took off her gauntlets to start washing her hands. 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Clementine joined her friend and began to wash the grime off her fingers. “I think-”

“Shut up.” Violet’s harsh tone made Clementine freeze.

“Vi, what-” Marlon was cut off when Violet waved her hand.

The three remained silent when they heard a faint crying coming from the barn. Whatever was making it sounded like it was in pain. Violet moved forward and opened the barn door. Neither of her comrades stopped her, both too curious to figure out the source of the sound as well. They silently walked through the barn which was surprisingly empty of animals. One cow lay on the ground, looking sickly pale and near death. The three knights shared a look. This was really odd. Danny had spoken about how there would be meat at this meal. 

Violet moved to a door in the back that was tied up with a complicated set of knots. Taking out her sword, she sliced through it. Whatever was happening here, the knights figured it would be answered as soon as they pushed open the doors. As soon as Violet opened the doors, their noses were hit with a disturbing smell of blood and rot. It smelled so deeply of it that it made their heads spin. Marlon covered his nose, trying not to get overpowered by the smell while Clementine’ eyes focused on the bloodied weaponry and medieval machinery that had bits of bone and muscle embedded in them.

“What the fuck,” Violet’s voice wavered as she stumbled backwards. Slowly in the center of the room there rose a young boy with dark brown hair looking to be no older than Tenn. His weak and bloodied form struggled to get up. The limited light in the room revealed that his right leg was missing, only a bloody hacked off stump there. His pale white bone was jagged and poking out where the rest of his leg should be. He looked up, his deep brown eyes shaking with fear as more tears escaped his reddened, puffy eyes and stained his face further.

He stumbled forward and his hands reached for the table that was clearly used for dismemberment. His hands landed where the moon shone, showing that he was missing several fingers on each hand. His left thumb was gone along with his index fingers while on his right hand all were gone save for the pinky and thumb. When he tried to put his weight on the table to help balance he slipped. His hands were too slick with blood to maintain a good grip and he fell to his feet. “Please,” He whimpered, “Don’t hurt me.”

The three knights could feel their fear rising and their hearts ached at the sight. Clementine ran forward to help up the child while Marlon took a deep breath to recenter himself and settle his rising panic.

“We need to leave. Violet, light a torch and prepare the horses. Clementine, I’m going to need your help bandaging up the wound. We need to-” Marlon stopped as he received a deep kick to his gut. He let out a shaky breath, a string of saliva falling from his lips. He stumbled back and tried to regain his composure but was hit with a punch to the face.

“Marlon!” Clementine rose up to see Andy hovering over her friend. Violet moved forward but was quickly intercepted by Danny who rammed her through the room and against one of the walls. Violet gasped only to hiss in pain when Danny embedded a sickle in her left hand.

“You bastards!” Clementine spat as she rose up and moved to attack Danny when an arrow flew past her face and hit the wall with a thunk. Clementine felt the cut on her face sting. The arrow had grazed her left cheek. 

Brenda lowered the bow for a moment and shook her head sadly. “We let you into our home and offered you a nice home cooked meal and this is how you repay us.” She looked up with sad eyes. “By stealing our meal.”

“You’re fucking sick,” Marlon struggled to his feet and was meet with another punch from Andy which he blocked. Curling up his fist, Marlon sent it crashing against Andy’s face, crushing his nose in an instant. Marlon thought briefly that he was thankful he still had his gauntlets on. Brenda moved to let another arrow fly, hoping it would hit true to its target: Marlon. Clementine dashed forward and tackled Brenda. Danny moved to help but received a hard blow between the legs by Violet. He keeled over, his face twisted in pain, and was met with a harsh punch by the thin girl. Violet hissed as she slowly pulled out the sickle now drenched in her blood. 

“You psychotic fucks!” she yelled as she slashed the sickle, slicing deeply into Danny’s face. 

Brenda let out an unearthly scream when she saw her son’s face ooze out blood but Clementine held her down. She glanced over and saw that Marlon was fending off Andy who had grabbed a pitchfork and knocked out Marlon’s sword from his hand. Sending a hard punch to Brenda’s face, Clementine crawled over to the bow and with a quick pull sent an arrow flying, hitting Andy square in the back. Brenda grabbed a shovel and whacked Clementine against the head, causing the young knight to crumble to the ground. Clementine’s eyes danced with spots of white as she pushed her arms against the ground to get up.

But Brenda wasn’t done. Snatching the bow out of Clementine’s hands, she wrapped it around Clementine’s neck and began to pull back. Clementine gasped and kicked as her throat was being crushed, her mind gasping for air as she struggled. Marlon ran over and grabbed his sword, slashing down and cutting deeply into Brenda’s arms. The lady cried out and released her grip on Clementine who quickly tossed away the bow from her neck. 

“How dare you hurt Mama like that!” Danny cried and moved to grab another weapon but his hand was trapped under the sickle. Violet took a shaky breath and got out her sword. She raised it up to land the finishing blow when Andy threw the pitchfork, grazing Violet’s side. Violet stumbled and tried to refocus but Andy had already released the sickle from his brother’s hand.

With a toss the sickle hit Marlon’s back as he was about to kill Brenda. The Commander of the Knights let out a sharp cry and pulled out the sickle with a sickening squelch. Clementine notched another arrow in the bow and sent it flying, shooting Andy between the eyes. His body fell down lifeless and dead, his lifeblood seeping out of the wound. Danny yelled and was about to attack when Violet sent her blade forward and stabbed him through the head. Brenda cried out and stumbled to her feet as she looked at the carnage.

“You killed my sons. After they did nothing wrong!” Brenda lunged forward only to get cut down by Marlon whose face tightened when his blade tasted human blood. He looked up at Violet and Clementine who both seemed to be feeling the same weight of their actions. It was the right call but taking human life shook them to their core. 

Marlon ran forward and gently picked up the kid. “Don’t worry, we got you.”

The child nodded; he was falling in and out of consciousness. Clementine and Violet ran forward to start to prepare to leave, quickly guiding over the horses and lighting up a torch to light the way. 

“Stay with us, kid.” Violet instructed. Her eyes swirled with concern as she helped wrap his injuries.

“Okay,” the kid whispered.

“What’s your name?” Clementine asked in hopes that talking would keep him awake as Marlon and Violet worked to bandage him up as best they could.

“Fivel,” The boy whispered.

“We need to cauterize the wound if he’s gonna have a chance,” Marlon’s words made the others look at him with saddened expressions.

“Fuck,” Violet whispered. 

“Fivel, I’m gonna need you to hold onto my hand, okay?” Clementine smiled over at him.

Fivel nodded and one of his bloodied hands wrapped around Clementine’s.

“This is gonna hurt like hell so you’re gonna have you bite down on this.” Violet held out a stick which the kid immediately bit down on. “You need to stay strong, Fivel,” Violet looked over at him and he nodded.

With that Marlon set to work cauterizing the wound. The smell of burning flesh filled the night sky along with Fivel’s muffled screams, blocked only by the stick. He begged them to stop as he desperately squeezed Clementine’s hand who gave reassuring words, tears pricking her own eyes. After a while it was done and Fivel lay on the ground, unconscious from the pain. 

“We need to wrap your hand, Vi, and your back, Marlon.” Clementine noted. Her heart stung as she looked at her friends’ injuries.

“Alright,” Marlon nodded and began to wrap Violet’s hand and make a sling to hold it close to her heart while Clementine wrapped his back as best she could, careful not to waste the precious seconds they needed to get back in time to save Fivel’s life. Marlon got on Oblivion and helped Fivel up along with Clementine’s help. Marlon had insisted that he carry Fivel in case he turned. He didn’t want to risk Violet or Clementine’s life and as leader he felt that the risk should lie with him. 

Violet struggled up on Orion as Clementine got on Karma and held forth the torch. Marlon looked back at the farm house then towards the darkened woods where the living dead’s unnatural groans emitted. With a sharp kick to Oblivion’s sides, Marlon and the rest of the knights rode on, praying that they would make it in time back to the safe haven of Ericson.


	8. Of the Moon and Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie and Marlon take a break by the fire and run into unexpected company.

Sophie and Marlon could feel their shoulders relaxing as they sat down beside the crackling fire. Hullabaloo and Oblivion stood by a tree, their reins tied around a branch. It had been a long day. On top of their usual duties as knights of Ericson, they had gone outside the safety of the walls to visit a village. A village that held many painful memories for the red-headed knight. Memories of a deadly struggle she had gone through with her twin at the tender age of 14. Cutting down their mentor who had turned when they had no reason to worry about such a thing. Memories of saving their now adoptive brother from his turned parents and standing there shakily as their swords dripped with tainted and rotten blood. 

But Sophie had wanted to visit the village, a request that made no sense to Marlon as it was nowhere near either anniversary date and would likely only cause her pain. Even so he let her go to the village and decided to go with her. There they spent a few moments at the small gravemarker that Sophie and Minnie had set aside for the three people they had cut down. Three souls they’d hoped they could save but failed to so. Now the two knights were taking a well-deserved break, enjoying some food and the warmth of a fire. They had cleared out the area of walkers and had their weapons at the ready to dispose of more should the need arise. For now the pair of knights could relax.

“Thanks, for coming with me today,” Sophie’s voice broke through the stillness of the night. She took a long swig from her water flask and let out a shaky breath. “I just felt like I needed to visit today.”   


“I’m glad that my presence was helpful and not the opposite,” Marlon bit down on his roll, part of the small supper Omar had graciously packed for them. “Was it comforting? Visiting them?”

Sophie glanced up, her sharp blue eyes meeting Marlon’s pale ones over the fire. After holding his gaze for a moment, she looked away.

“Yes, to an extent.” Sophie took another shaky breath. “Seeing them helps remind me of why I continue to be a knight and how I should never forget the mistakes of my past.” Sophie’s eyes became glassy by the end of her sentence. Marlon looked over with concern and after a few seconds of deliberation rose up from his spot and sat beside her. Leaning over, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Sophie could feel tears escaping her eyes and slipping down her face.

“I’m sure that Molly is proud of you. Hell, I think all of them are.” Marlon smiled over at Sophie who forced a small smile.

“Yeah, probably cheering us on in whatever realm they dwell in now.” Sophie took a breath and let her shoulders relax as she brought her knees up so her face could rest on them. “I want to make them proud. I want them to be proud of all of us.” 

“They are and we’ll make sure they continue to be. Just wait and see. Tales will be told of the brave circle of knights of Ericson who rose above the misfortunes thrown their way.”

“How we fought valiantly for our people and our king.” Sophie’s usual bright smile returned to her face. “I’d like that.”

Marlon smiled over at his dear friend, happy to see her usual optimism and cheeriness back. The pair soon returned to their meal and to happier talks as the wood in the firepit snapped and cracked under the fire’s warm embrace.

\----

Prisha could feel her stomach twisting in pain. How many days had it been since she and Aasim had been able to get food. It was a reality that the pair of siblings had been used to for many years now. The fact that the living dead now roamed the earth made those days no different. Still, they needed to find something before either of them passed out. Prisha cautiously moved through the darkness of night, her brother right beside her. It seemed like they were bound to run into some sort of community soon. It had been a long time since they had. All of them treated the siblings the same. Unwanted and feared. 

It seemed the rumours of their supposed sorcery had moved farther than they had in the world. How they had set fires across the Kingdom of the Savior and had brought the living dead to it. As such they usually hid in plain sight, stealing and taking anything they could before running away back to the beaten-down road they now called home. Survival was all that mattered to Prisha. As long as she and her brother made it another day that was a victory. 

Prisha continued to move forward when she noticed the soft glow of a campfire. Pulling Aasim to the side, she crouched with him behind some shrubbery. Prisha’s eyes scanned the area, her grip tightening on the dagger she wielded in case any walkers were nearby. But after a minute or two of looking it seemed the area was cleared.

She wondered if it had anything to do with the two people sitting beside the fire. A girl with long red hair was animatedly talking to a young blonde man who seemed to be around the girl’s age. As the girl continued to talk the young man spit out some of the water in laughter that he had just partaken in from his water flask. Prisha’s eyes looked around at their small encampment and stopped when they noticed a small bag that had fallen over. The contents of it had spilled onto the ground, revealing a stash of food. Aasim’s stomach growled at the sight, causing his sister to look over at him. 

“I can go,” Aasim offered, a small smile on his face. “They seem to be distracted and relaxed enough that I can slip in and out of there with ease.”

“That does seem to be the case,” Prisha lifted a hand up to her chin and thought deeply about it. “Alright. I’ll stay back. If I sense even a hint of trouble-”

“I know.” Aasim smiled over at his older sister. “You come to my aid.” With that he slipped into the shadows of the night and carefully moved forward towards the campsite. His feet barely making a sound as he inched closer and closer to the bag of food. All he needed to do was remain silent and the meal would be his. One that would give him and his sister the needed energy to continue this endless struggle against this new world. As he moved closer he began to hear the conversation between the two travelers more clearly.

“Be real with me, Soph,” The man had a casual tone. “How long has it been since you washed your armor?”

“Oh, come on,” The girl laughed. “It can’t smell that bad.”

“The fact that you’re not telling me worries me.” The man leaned forward and gave a playful grin to his companion.

“Well, it’s not exactly the most pressing issue on my mind on any given day. I have to eat, train, sleep, the hours just slip away.” The girl counted the different things on her fingers and returned the playful smile back over to her friend.

“That’s the most half-assed excuse I’ve ever heard.” The man shook his head good naturedly.

“Oh yeah? Maybe it is,” The girl leaned back on her arms for a moment before moving forward. “I know it doesn’t smell that bad,” The girl removed her left gauntlet and inhaled deeply before practically gagging. “See,” the girl looked up with watery eyes. “Smells fine. Great even.”

“Really, Sophie?” The young man’s grin grew. “You’re still gonna spout bullshit.”

“Well, maybe I need a second opinion.” She tossed over the gauntlet which the man caught with ease. “Plus I bet your armor doesn’t smell any better.”

“Oh yeah? I-”

A twig snapped under Aasim’s foot, causing him to glance down with fear at his foolish mistake.

Sophie rose to her feet and unsheathed her sword. “Come out from where you’re hiding.” the redheaded knight commanded.

Marlon stood a few paces beside her, his hand hovering over his blade. Out of the shadows emerged a young man with black hair and a goatee. His hands slightly shook as he held them up yet his eyes held a level of calm to them. 

“What's your name?” Marlon asked, taking a step forward. “What business do you have at our camp?”

The young man remained quiet. Even though he was in no position of power he held an aura of confidence.

“All we want is your reason behind why you are here,” Sophie stated camly, her sword still held out defensively. But he said nothing.

Suddenly a pair of footsteps drew the young knights’ attention but not before a dagger was pressed against Marlon’s throat.

“Drop your weapons now,” The girl behind Marlon had sharp brown eyes. Her aura was similar to that of the young man’s. It only took a second for Sophie to know that the girl was serious. “I mean it. Drop it and let him go.” She nodded over to the young man. 

Sophie looked between them for a second and took note of the state they were in. Their clothes were ragged and torn, their faces covered in dirt and sweat. She looked down and saw that neither of them even had any shoes. Slowly the knight’s gaze moved upward; her eyes locked with the girl’s. She could see the nervousness dance within them. 

“Alright,” Sophie tossed aside her blade and held up her hands. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She wasn’t going to risk Marlon’s life.

The young man moved towards the campfire and began to take everything in sight. Sophie remained quiet, her feet planted firmly on the ground. Marlon locked eyes with her and gave her a reassuring look which she returned. She didn’t care what they took as long as they let them walk away unharmed and alive. She had lost far too many loved ones over the years. Sophie wasn’t about to let herself lose another over something like this. 

Marlon’s eyes wandered over to the left hand of the girl who held the dagger to his throat. His eyes widened when the firelight shone on it and showed the mark of the crescent moon. “Holy shit,” Marlon whispered. “You’re the twin sorcerers.”

The girl’s eyes shot over to the young man; a look of terror was in their eyes. But it soon faded away, replaced with anger. The gip on the dagger tightened and pressed against Marlon’s throat. A small trickle of blood slipped down his neck.

“Wait, please.” Sophie carefully took a step forward. “There’s no need for that. We’re giving you everything we have.”

The girl studied Sophie’s face and saw the fear in her eyes. She seemed conflicted about what exactly she should do. Her grip tightened once again on the dagger. 

Marlon wasn’t going to take any chances and with a sharp stomp of his armored boot kicked her foot. The girl let out a cry and dropped the dagger, her focus entirely on her now bruised bare foot. 

The young man dropped the bag of supplies he had taken as his face fell in concern.

“Prisha!” He yelled before his face scrunched in anger. Dashing over to the fire, he grabbed a burning log and swung it at Sophie. The knight backstepped, dodging most of the flames. Yet they still connected with her left hand. Sophie cried out in pain as her hand burned fiercely. Her horse kicked his hooves frantically in the air. Oblivion seemed to be in no better shape. Sophie looked over and saw the young man was willing to attack again. She was prepared this time, however, and dodged it. With a mighty punch she knocked out her attacker.

“Aasim!” Prisha cried out and scrambled to her feet, snatching up her dagger. With a loud, throaty cry she ran forward and lunged towards Sophie. Marlon ran forward and wrapped his arms round Prisha’s, stopping her in her tracks.

“Calm down,” Marlon spoke calmly but was soon met with a heavy hit to his face. Prisha had thrown back her head and crushed the knight’s nose, causing him to stagger backwards.

Sophie’s eyes grew large as the dagger shone in the fire’s light. With a quick dodge she missed its unwanted attention. Prisha was about to turn to attack again but Sophie had proven to be quicker. Using her left gauntlet that had been thrown to the side in the struggle, she knocked out Prisha. The two knights stood above their unconscious assailants, their chests heaving after the adrenaline-inducing encounter.

“What should we do?” Sophie glanced over at Marlon. 

“I don’t know,” Marlon shook his head. “We can’t leave them here.”

Sophie nodded in agreement as her eyes caught sight of the birthmark in the shape of the rising sun on Aasim’s arm. “I can’t believe it. To think the twin sorcerors weren’t a myth.”

“Well, I doubt they have magic,” Marlon looked down at the pair of siblings. “That one, Aasim, I think. He used an already flaming piece of wood rather than a spell.”

“That’s right. And she didn’t even bother to use any magic even though her sibling was in danger.” Sophie let out a deep sigh. The two knights remained silent for a minute before the redheaded knight spoke up once more. “I think we should bring them back to Ericson.”

Marlon looked over at Sophie, not surprised by her choice. “I figured.”

“Am I that easy to read?” Sophie smiled over at her commander. “It’s just….” Sophie looked down at the pair of siblings. “I can tell they're in shitty shape. I’d probably do the same thing if I was that desperate.” Sophie took a deep breath. “They were just trying to survive and look out for each other.

“Then it’s settled.” Marlon strolled over and grabbed a few spare ropes from his saddle. “But we’re tying them up.”

“Definitely,” Sophie gingerly held her left hand close to her chest. 

After a few minutes the camp had been torn down and the two thieves bound. Marlon offered to take Aasim on his steed and then moved to help Sophie gently place Prisha on the back of Hullabaloo.

“It’s okay,” Sophie brushed her hand through her horse’s hair. “We’ll be home soon.” With that both knights got on their steeds and trotted towards the kingdom, careful not to bring any harm to the pair of siblings as they rode. “Minnie is gonna be worried,” Sophie looked down at her hand then back at Prisha. “And pissed about what happened.”

“Yeah, I’m sure the other knights will feel the same. But probably not on the same scale.” Marlon smiled over at his friend. 

“Well, I’m sure Louis is gonna be surprised by this.” Sophie shook her head.

Marlon nodded, wondering how things would go once they returned. The pair of knights rode on, making their way to Ericson.

\----

Aasim could feel his left eye throb in pain as he was guided down the hallway. He had woken up not long ago along with his sister. His hands were bound and his eye blackened. Most likely due to the punch that girl had given him. When they had woken up they were greeted by a friendly guard who said his name was Mark. He reassured them that this kingdom’s ruler was kind though both Aasim and Prisha doubted it. They were told as soon as they were cleared of bites they would be escorted to him. 

Aasim could feel his anxiety rise with each step that he and his sister took down the hall. The last time they had been brought before a ruler they had been sentenced to be burned alive. Would the ruler here be of the same mindset? He glanced over at Prisha who looked frightened. She soon felt her brother’s eyes on her and glanced over, giving the best smile she could muster. But Aasim knew she was forcing it. He knew how terrified she was for he felt the same way. 

After a few minutes they stopped in front of the throne room doors where guards moved to open them. Once they were open, all eyes fell upon the pair of siblings. A set of five knights stood to the right of the throne. The two they had fought with were busy getting treated by a pale, rosy-cheeked redheaded healer who was scolding the female knight for being so reckless while the blonde knight whose nose was shattered and bloodied tried to reassure the healer everything was fine even though it was to no avail. Aasim immediately felt his cheeks flush and his heart stop for a moment at first glance of the healer and caught sight of Prisha’s disapproving look. He knew why. This wasn’t the time for any sort of attraction. 

Turning his attention to the other knights he noticed one identical to the knight who had gifted him with the black eye save for her hair which was short, part of which slightly covered one of her icy blue eyes. To the right of her was a knight with auburn hair who seemed anxious about this whole encounter and was whispering to the taller redheaded knight. Beside the auburn knight was the final knight: a short, skinny, blonde girl whose pale green eyes studied both Aasim and Prisha with caution. Aasim noticed Prisha’s attention linger on the blonde female knight for a moment longer than necessary. When she looked over at her brother, she seemed embarrassed for falling into the same trap of attraction that he had. 

“Your Highness,” Mark gave a deep bow to the throne. “I brought the two you wish to see.” He gestured over to the siblings who seemed surprised that no one was pushing them to kneel.

“Thank you, Mark,” The king’s warm voice drew the sibling’s gaze. Aasim felt his heart flutter when he caught sight of the king. The king had a bright, warm smile on his freckled face. His golden crown complemented his features. 

Mark gave another bow and left the throne room. The young king waited for a moment then turned back to the pair of siblings. “I heard my knights had quite the adventure this evening.” The king’s sentence sent both Prisha and Aasim crashing back into reality. The anxiety that was once in their guts was stronger than before. 

“Owww, Ruby!” The redhead knight hissed loudly and stomped her feet. “ That hurts!”

“Well, maybe that will teach you not to take off your armor for a smelling contest.” Ruby scolded and shook her head. “Honestly, you and Marlon were being reckless.”

“I-” Marlon tried to speak but immediately shut up when he saw the look in the healer’s eyes. He instead focused back on the two siblings.

A moment of silence passed again in which Aasim stood in confusion, unsure how the knights had so freely interrupted the king without consequence.

“As I was saying,” The young king straightened his back. “It seems you were trying to steal. Not only that, but I’ve heard you two are the fabled twin sorcerers.”

“Y-your Highness,” Aasim’s voice cracked. “We meant no harm.”

The king quirked an eyebrow at that.

“Bullshit!” The short haired redheaded knight hissed, her eyes shooting over to Aasim. “You fucking burned Sophie’s hand!”

“Minnie, it’s fine.” Sophie gave a soft smile. “They were just scared.”   


“So that makes it okay for them to do that?” Minnie’s hand curled up into a fist. 

“No, it doesn’t. But it gives meaning to why they did it.” The auburn knight gently placed her hand on Minnie’s shoulder. Minnie glanced down at her friend and took a deep breath.

“I suppose the people are already gathered,” Prisha’s voice made everyone look towards her. The king looked genuinely confused by her statement. “There is no need to act surprised. After all, it is tradition to burn those who use witchcraft at the stake.”

“Prisha,” Aasim scolded his sister for her bluntness. But Prisha didn’t care; she continued to lock eyes with the king.

“Well, you two aren’t sorcerers,” The king stated simply which caused Aasim and Prisha’s eyes to widen in shock. “If you were, you would’ve done more than burn my friend’s hand with a flaming stick. If you really had any ties to witchcraft, you could have burned through your binds and easily escaped. But you didn’t even though you’re scared shitless. That must mean you have no magic.” 

The king placed his hands on his hips and gave a smile. “I want to give you two the benefit of the doubt. It seems to me as though you’ve just been struggling to survive. I see no point in buying into rumors that have no merit. I’d much rather give you two the chance and get to know the two newest citizens of my kingdom.”

The knights glanced over to their king. Not everyone seemed as eager to agree but they didn’t seem surprised by his decision either. “Of course, I won’t let you wander around freely. I’ll have my knights escort you from place to place for a while.” The king rose from his throne and took a step forward. “Violet, Brody, you’ll be in charge of them. 

The auburn knight and blonde knight looked up. The first gave a brisk nod while the other stood silent, her hands still crossed as she continued to observe. Minnie didn’t seem pleased about her king’s choice but remained quiet. 

The king stopped for a moment and unsheathed his royal sword. Silently he walked behind Aasim and cut his binds free before doing the same to Prisha. The two siblings moved protectively toward each other. Both of them rubbed their now freed wrists. Once again the knights seemed divided on how they felt about their king’s actions. Marlon and Sophie shared a look, both of them unsurprised by Louis’ actions and seemingly for it while the other three shared more unsure expressions.

“I know all of this must be terrifying, but I assure you that the Kingdom of Ericson is a safe haven. A place you will no longer have to steal or kill to get a meal.” He smiled over at Aasim and Prisha before his eyes grew large.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” he gave a bow. “I am King Louis, fifth king of Ericson.” He straightened his back and looked over at the siblings. “What might your names be?”   
“Aasim,” Aasim replied. He figured it would be best to be civil.

“Prisha,” his sister stated simply.

“Well, Aasim, Prisha. How about a bowl of nice hot stew to start out your time here?”

Aasim and Prisha remained silent but their stomachs didn’t. They growled loudly, clearly audible in the open room.

Louis blinked wildly for a moment before devolving into a fit of laughter. “Okay how about a double serving for both of you? When you’re done Vi and Brody will show you to your room that’s been prepared in the west wing.” With that the king walked past them and sat back down again. 

“If you’ll follow us,” Brody gave a warm smile and led the way. Violet walked beside her, still remaining silent. Prisha and Aasim shared a look before following the pair of knights. They walked silently through the halls for a while until they reached the kitchen. A deep, rich, heavenly smell of stewed meat and rolls overwhelmed both Prisha and Aasim’s noses. The knights opened the door and revealed a young man with an afro stirring a pot. 

“Hello,” He gave a soft smile. “Seems like you have good timing. The stew is just finished.”

“That’s great, Omar.” Brody strolled over. “It smells amazing as always.”

“We’re here to get some food for these two,” Violet nodded back to the siblings. Prisha was taken aback for a moment. Violet’s voice was softer than she had imagined it would be. Omar nodded and worked to ladle heaping bowls of stew that he handed over to Prisha and Aasim. They gave their thanks. They tried their best to use manners but their hunger made it near impossible. Soon they were slurping up the piping hot stew and tearing apart the rolls.

Omar shook his head; he never did like it when people didn’t take time to savor their food. But he soon noticed the absolute happiness on both Aasim and Prisha’s faces. A small smile pulled on the corners of the royal chef’s lips as he moved to work on something else. 

Violet and Brody watched the two newest citizens of the kingdom in silence for a moment. Brody glanced over and noticed that Violet was staring at Prisha. “They sure are hungry,” 

Brody’s voice made Violet glance over. “Can’t blame them,” She looked back at the pair. “Who knows when the last time was that they had food.”   


“Not for a while from the looks of it,” Brody commented and leaned her back against the kitchen wall. “Think it was right of Louis,” Brody whispered, “To let them stay?”   


Violet looked at the floor. “Doesn’t matter what I think. Louis would’ve done it even if we all complained.” Violet’s eyes studied the floor, her mind spinning.

“Your opinion matters to me,” Brody glanced over at her fellow knight.

“I get why they did what they did,” Violet whispered. “I’m still upset that Marlon and Sophie got hurt but I’ve been them,” She motioned over to the siblings, taking a shaky breath. “Struggling for food, hoping to survive another day. They’ve been through hell.” 

Brody remained quiet for a moment. She knew of Violet’s past as a street rat. She remembered the tales Kenny would tell of how he saved her life even though she had nearly slit his throat. It wasn’t surprising to hear her friend’s thoughts.

“I’d like to think that Louis made the right call,” Brody nodded in agreement. “Marlon and Sophie seemed to want to believe in those two as well. I say if we can help people, we should,” Brody smiled gently over at Violet who looked away, a faint smile on her lips. 

After a few minutes Prisha and Aasim had finished eating and the four once again walked through the halls. Brody talked here and there about the different rooms they passed while Violet occasionally added in her own thoughts. Prisha and Aasim seemed intrigued by the castle and were soon adding to the conversation, asking questions and making conversation until Brody stopped at a door.

“Alright, here we are,” Brody pushed open a door, revealing two beds where two pairs of new clothes lay. On the bedstand was a pitcher of water and two cups. “If you go down the hall past two doors, there is a room for baths though you only get one every so often.”

Prisha and Aasim looked dumbfound by everything.

“We’ll leave you.” Violet’s voice snapped them back into reality.

“Thank you,” Aasim gave a bow, his sister soon following suit. “For everything you’ve offered.”

“And allowing us our lives,” Prisha added.

Violet and Brody seemed surprised by the humble gesture.

“It’s nothing,” Violet glanced away and began to walk down the hallways. Brody gave a wave and soon followed her comrade.

“Guards will be at your door if you need anything. Vi and I will be back first thing tomorrow.”

With that the knights disappeared down the hallways and two guards soon stood in front of the door. Prisha and Aasim looked at each other. They couldn’t believe it. They had survived when they thought they were surely walking to their death. Instead they were greeted with mercy and a king who wanted to believe them even though he had nothing to truly go on. They didn’t want it to go to waste. They would prove themselves and hopefully be allowed to stay.


	9. Clearing the Rubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tripp volunteers to help clear the debris from the most recent attack that the Kingdom of Ericson has sustained when he finds something unexpected.

Tripp could feel the stiffness in his shoulders, how his neck creaked whenever he turned to look around. It was probably for the best then that he had decided to take a break from the forge for the day and went in search of food. His footsteps echoed on the marbled floor as he walked down the hallway, his eyes searching for the kitchen door. But like always it seemed his nose picked up on the destination quicker; the warm, comforting smell of rabbit stew mingled in the air. He was heading in the right direction. 

After a few strides he reached the humble door of the castle’s kitchen. Giving a quick knock he turned the doorknob and knelt down to make his way through the doorway. He’d had a few bad experiences with short doors due to his height and he wasn’t going to add another one today.

“Afternoon, Omar,” Tripp smiled warmly over to the young cook who looked up once he heard his name.

A small smile played on the cook’s lips as he continued to stir the pot where the delicious aroma emerged from. “Hey Tripp, taking a break from the forge?” Omar turned away from the pot and got down two bowls and spoons.

“You could say that.” Tripp scratched the back of his head. “I’m helping out in the western district later today. Hoping to clear the rubble and find some survivors.”

Omar’s face fell at that statement, his eyes holding a deep sadness to them. “Oh, right.” He dipped a ladle in the thick stew, beginning the process of filling the bowl. “How’s Mitch doing?”

“Well, you know how he is. He can get moody sometimes but this,” Tripp shook his head. “I think the loss of another knight really got to him.”

“It makes sense,” Omar passed over the first bowl and started on the second. “We lost Brody’s mother.”

“Yeah, I just hope I can pull him away from the forge long enough to eat a meal.” 

“He’s stubborn but I’m sure you’ll be able to.” Omar handed over a roll with a short smile. The blacksmith looked over at the cook, returning the smile. 

“It’d be great for you to drop by the forge. I haven’t seen you there for a while,” Tripp took both of the stew bowls with a big smile. “Hell, when’s the last time you and Mitch hung out?”   


“Too long,” Omar returned to his task. “I’ll try to find some time.”

“That’d be great. Thanks again for the food,” Tripp balanced the roll with the two bowls and wandered out into the hallway. The warmth from the bowl was starting to bother his hands but he figured he’d make it back in time before it was anything serious. After a few minutes of navigating his way through the castle he came up to the workshop where he could hear the sound of a new sword being forged. Mitch swore under his breath angrily as he continued to hit the heated metal into the shape of a sword. 

“Hey there,” Tripp smiled over at his son who didn’t acknowledge that he had entered the room. “Got you food.”   


Mitch continued to hit the metal angrily. “Not hungry,” he muttered before whacking the nearly formed sword again. A loud clanging sound emitted and echoed through the room when he had done so. 

“I know that’s a lie,” Tripp set down the bowls and roll and pulled out a chair. “Now sit.”

“I said I’m not hungry!” Mitch snapped, turning around wildly and glaring at his father.

Tripp’s smile slowly formed into a frown as he locked eyes with his son. “Mitchell,” Tripp’s voice took on a serious tone. 

Mitch’s expression softened for a moment before he turned back to the forge. “I’ll eat later. I need to finish this sword for Brody.” Mitch’s voice wavered on the girl’s name. “So she can deal with the shit that she’s gotta. If she has a better sword, she’ll be safer and….” Mitch stopped for a moment then proceeded to hit the sword one last time. His chest rose and fell with his breathing.  “So she can take all her anger out on those stupid fucking training dummies. Be able to just be mad.” Mitch took the sword and wandered over to a deep water basin. With a hard jab he stuck it in the water. Steam began to rise from the water, the sword cooling down and setting into its finished form. “It’s what I’d want to do if.. if I lost you.” Mitch paused when he felt Tripp’s hand on his shoulder. The young teen glanced up at his father then turned away. 

“I get that you want to help your girl. Hell, I want to know how to help her too. To keep all the knights safe. But we’d be useless if we go on and push ourselves too hard. If we got weakened, then we’d be up a shit creek without a paddle. The rest of the kingdom would be that way too.”

Mitch looked at his father, his face thoughtful at his statement. With a short nod, Mitch placed down the sword and plopped down on the seat. Tripp let out a small sigh of relief and joined his son at the table. The two of them quickly started up a conversation about the best weapons they could craft for this newfound hell the world had been thrown into. 

After a few minutes Tripp rose up from his spot, snagging the roll that failed to get eaten into his pouch, and leaned backwards, causing a loud cracking sound to emitted from his back. “I gotta go. Promised I’d help in the western district.”

“Alright,” Mitch nodded.

“Be sure to wash these out before getting into any new projects.” Tripp added to which Mitch grumbled.

“Yeah, yeah.” The young blacksmith pushed back his chair and gathered up the dishes. 

Tripp smiled and was about to head out the door when he remembered he still had his forging apron on. Taking it off and brushing off some of the crumbs in his beard, the blacksmith made his way to his next destination. He took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs as he made his way over to clear the rubble. He strolled through the outdoor section of the castle, quickly finding himself at the training yard where the young knights were. 

Violet sat up in a tree, her eyes holding a dull look to them as she twirled a leaf in her hand before tossing it down. The wind slowly pushed the leaf back and forth until it landed on the ground. The blonde knight tilted her head back, letting it rest against the tree trunk. A sad expression was on her face that wasn’t uncommon these days. Tripp couldn’t blame her; the young teen had lost the knight she had bonded with the most. The one who had given her a second chance and pushed her to try to become a worthy and noble knight. They had lost Kenny within the first week of the living dead roaming the earth and while it had been three months it was still raw for Violet. Some days she simply wanted the peace and isolation of the tree that stood in the training yard. 

That didn’t stop her dear friend Sophie from being nearby though. The redhead knight sat on the other tree branch, making sure to stay a fair distance from Violet but still being nearby enough to let her know her presence was there. Even though Violet didn’t say anything, she was clearly grateful for Sophie’s decision to be nearby. The redheaded knight was busy carving a piece of wood into a lucky trinket. 

When Tripp had seen her make one for the first time, he’d asked her why she did it. Sophie told him she believed it would bring good luck and keep the wearer safe. Sophie’s eyes had danced with determination when she had told the blacksmith of how she would make one for all her comrades. But ever since the living dead appeared, the young knight seemed to be plagued with sleeplessness. It didn’t stop her from making the trinkets, but it did make her sloppier with her knife cuts. Her fingers were littered with small cuts and it seemed based on how her body was slightly shaking, today would only add to those injuries. 

A small sob drew Tripp’s attention over to the corner where Brody sat. Her head was shielded by her curled up legs and her arms were wrapped around her head. A series of short, pained sobs escaped her lips as her body shook. It had only been three days since the attack on the western district. Only three days since Carley, one of the bravest knights of Ericson, had sacrificed her life in order to help evacuate innocent civilians. Minnie sat a fair distance away from the auburn knight and only spoke in short, simple sentences so as to not overwhelm her. Tripp could feel his heart tighten at the sight. To think that kids, mere fourteen year olds, would have to bear this much sadness and suffering.

He was drawn away from his thoughts when he heard an angry cry coming from the center of the yard. Marlon, son of the Commander of the Knights, was completely focused on the straw training dummy before him. He slashed his steel sword against the straw dummy again and again. His face was bright red from exertion and his breathing shaky. His anger and other emotions bubbling over within his heart could be felt with each hit. None of the other young knights stopped him. The training yard remained quiet save for the sword hitting against the straw and the pained sobs of the auburn knight. Marlon let out an angered yell as he raised up his sword once more only to be stopped. When he glanced up, he was surprised to see his father standing behind him.

“Marlon, you must calm yourself,”

“But I-” Marlon stopped when his father raised his hand.

“If you let your anger consume you, then you’ll be a liability on the battlefield.” Marlon’s father spoke with a commanding tone.

Marlon turned his face away, an upset expression overtaking his features but he nodded regardless.

“I know your potential and that you want to reach it faster with all that's happened. With the friends we’ve lost,” A tear fell down the Commander of the Knights' face. “But we must be wise.”

Marlon looked up at his father and nodded once more. “Alright.”   


“Good. Now let’s start with today’s training.” He motioned for Molly and Lee to join him. His fellow knights were soon by his side. With a quick whispered conversation, they went their separate ways to gather the other knights in training. Molly strolled over to the tree and was able to convince the two friends to climb down from there. Sophie had a brighter smile on her face than before as she swung an arm around Violet’s neck and walked over to the center of the yard. Lee calmly went over to the corner and knelt down beside the auburn knight, asking for a moment alone with Brody which Minnie agreed to. Tripp watched for a moment longer then continued forward. He couldn’t waste anymore time. He had an obligation to help out and that's exactly what he planned to do. 

After a while he came across the destroyed section of the western district. Guards were running around as Christa shouted instruction. Omid was right beside her, helping the injured citizens and reassuring them that everything would be alright.

“Hey there, Tripp!” Mark’s kind voice drew the blacksmith’s attention over to the shorter man. The guard stood there with his usual casual smile. “Here to help out?”   
“That’s right,”

“Well, that’s great. We’ve already got people working on moving the casualties,” Mark gestured over to Pete who was busy helping haul the dead into carts. One of them was already filled. It made Tripp feel sick to his stomach, the taste of bile rising as he stared. To think that they had already been working on this for over a day, the first hours of which had been to clear out those who had turned and there was still so much left to be done. 

Pete’s eyes searched the rubble, a look of frustration to them. Tripp had a good idea as to why the knight felt that way. They had lost Carley three days ago. That much was proven true by Christa who testified that she’d been saved by her fellow knight. The only thing Carley got in return for her bravery was to be crushed under the rubble of a building that crumbled under the weight of wear and fire. If they were able to find the body, they could give her the proper burial she deserved. But it was clear based on all the knights’ expressions that they hadn’t.

“We got people on the search for survivors too.” Mark’s voice snapped Tripp back to reality. “Which means we got spots free for moving rubble. So, how about we get to work?” Mark gave a small, tired smile.

Tripp nodded and soon the pair was moving all the stones and wood in their way. Thanks to Tripp’s strength they were able to sort through the debris much quicker and had enough muscle to move the bigger pieces. 

“Help me over here,” Mark instructed as he wrapped his arm under a huge chunk of stone. Tripp joined his side and with his help along with some other guards they were able to lift it up, revealing an injured man. Two of the guards worked to drag the man out only to be surprised when he lunged at them, biting and snapping viciously. His milky eyes and rotten skin made it clear what he had become. With a hard stab, Mark ended his life. He took a shaky breath but immediately got back to work. 

Tripp studied the walker corpse for a moment. He wondered whether there was any hope of finding any survivors here. Quickly pushing aside that thought, the blacksmith continued to work for hours before taking a well-deserved break. 

He wiped away the sweat off his brow only to pause when he saw a speedy blur pass by his eyes and into a nearby alleyway. Cautiously taking a step forward, Tripp made his way into the alleyway only to be surprised by what he found.

A kid looking no older than seven was staring up at him with big eyes, the edges of which were red and puffy. A small grimace covered the shaggy brunette child who angrily bit down on a stale piece of bread, tearing at it with no luck. The bread wouldn’t break but that didn’t stop the young child from trying. 

“Hey there,” Tripp knelt down beside him. “Are you lost?” Tripp reached out a hand only to receive a harsh bite. “Ow!” Tripp hissed and waved his hand. “You’re a feral one.”

The young kid only responded by scrabbling further into the shadows. Tripp watched for a moment, perplexed as to what to do. That’s when an idea came to him. Rummaging around in his pouch, he pulled out the roll from his mealtime.

“Here ya go,” Tripp held it out. “It’s yours if you want it.”   
The large eyes of the child grew larger as he moved forward and snatched up the roll. As he bit into it his eyes danced with joy and he continued to tear into the fluffy bread.

“My name’s Tripp. You got a name?” Tripp’s question made the kid stop for a moment from his eating.

“Willy.”

“Willy, huh? Well Willy, do you know where your parents are?” 

That question made Willy stop chewing his roll for a minute. With a rough swallow he answered.

“Dead.”

Tripp’s eyes grew large at that statement. 

Willy’s eyes began to tear up again. He rubbed at them furiously, angered when more soon replaced those he pushed away. 

“I’m sorry.” Tripp’s kind voice made Willy stop for a moment. “Seems like the world has gone to shit if young kids like you are getting orphaned left and right.”

Willy remained quiet at that, unsure how to respond. The silence between them was broken when the child’s stomach growled loudly.

“You still hungry?” Tripp chuckled and rose up to his normal height. “How about we fix that? There’s some kind folks out there that can help with that.” 

Willy looked surprised by the offer and soon followed the blacksmith who walked forward towards the other people working to clear the rubble. Mark paused when he noticed Tripp and the young kid who hid behind him.

“Tripp! I see you found someone,” Mark knelt down. “Hey there. little guy. My name’s Mark.” He reached out a hand only for Willy to fake a lunge toward the guard.

“He’s uh…. pretty scared.” Tripp replied with a soft smile.

“I can see that. Well if you can drop him off with the other survivors, that’d be great.”

Tripp nodded and guided Willy over to Omid who was instructing people still.

“Hey there, Omid.” 

Omid turned around with a big smile. “Tripp! Thanks for the help.” His eyes widened when he saw Willy. “Who’s this little dude?”

“His name’s Willy,” Tripp gently placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Seems his parents didn’t make it. If you could get him some food, that would be great.”

“Of course! Okay, Willy. Hop on board and I’ll getcha some good food.”

Willy shook his head and hid behind Tripp. It seemed like he had already grown attached to the blacksmith. 

“If it’s alright with you, Omid, I could just get him some food back at the castle. He could stay with me while he eats. Then I can head over to the orphanage afterwards.” Tripp offered with a smile.

Omid thought about the offer. “Hmmm. Willy, is that what you want to do?” He knelt down beside the kid who gave a short nod. “Alrighty then. I’ll let the others know.”

“Okay, I’ll be heading back then.” Tripp looked down at Willy. “Ready for some good food?”   
Willy nodded wildly and with that the two were off.

After making it back to the castle and sneaking into the kitchen, Tripp had gotten Omar to give Willy some extra food. The feral child ended up eating three bowls of stew and tucking away two more rolls. Tripp offered to help clean the kitchen later in return for the food and after Omar had accepted the offer he was off once more.

Willy ran beside him, a content smile on his face that wavered every so often but never fully disappeared. When they returned to the forgery they were met with the sound of metal clanging against metal. Mitch was busy at work once again. He glanced up and looked confused when he saw Willy. “Who’s he?”   


“He’s a kid we found in the debris in the western district. I offered to get him some food and such until he's ready to head to the orphanage.” Tripp’s explanation was met with a short nod by Mitch before he went back to work. 

Willy’s eyes grew large when he saw the large shield being formed on the forging table. “Whoa!" He scampered over, his eyes practically sparkling with curiosity. “That’s so cool!”

Mitch looked over with a proud smile. “You think this is cool? Wait until you see me add the kingdom seal.”   


Mitch and Willy continued to talk as the pair instantly got along. Mitch showed different tricks and techniques to the young child who watched in awe. Tripp watched with a smile, happy to see the forge filled with smiles once more.


	10. A Blossom Amidst the Wasteland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prisha works to figure out how to make something using alchemy.

Prisha could feel her annoyance bubbling as her fingers rapidly turned the pages of a tome. She knew she had made a mistake but she wasn’t sure where. Her eyes darted left and right reading through the different alchemic formulas but it seemed as though she wouldn’t find her answer in there. 

“Damn it,” Prisha muttered to herself as a stray strand of hair fell free from her braid and curled around her face. She was really hoping that she would be able to figure out this formula today. It wouldn’t necessarily hurt if she figured it out tomorrow but she still had plenty of daylight. She had time. A soft knock from the door to the alchemy workshop made the alchemist look up and smile when she saw her brother standing in the doorway.

“Afternoon, Prisha.” Aasim strolled forward and stopped beside his sister.

“Afternoon,” Prisha gave one more smile then glanced down at the book, her smile quickly fading and turning into a frown.

“Is something the matter?” Aasim looked over at his sister’s face with concern. “Did the new formulas fail to produce results?”

“What?” Prisha glanced up; clearly her mind was still focused on the newest problem she was trying to solve. After a moment she registered what he had said. “Oh no, my apologies.” Prisha brushed back the stray hair and pointed over at the table in the corner of the room covered with vials that swirled with a greenish liquid. A stack of papers were beside them. “The new alchemic flames are ready as are the newest formulas that I am sure will prove valuable to our defenses.”

“That’s good,” Aasim nodded with a warm smile before his brow furrowed in confusion. “Then what are you so agitated over?”

Prisha paused in her readings and looked over at her brother. With a heavy sigh she spoke. “I happened to have some free time these last few moons and well...” She began to play with the end of her braid, “I was trying to figure out how to make a flower using alchemy.”

It only took a second for Aasim to put together the pieces. “For Violet?”   


“That’s right,” Prisha turned away from her brother’s gaze and gestured down at the table. On it was an alchemic circle, the five sections of which were filled with different ingredients. “But I’ve tried various ingredients and well…” Prisha paused and performed the alchemy, causing a small bright light to emit from the center. Aasim blocked his eyes for a moment then looked down to see a shriveled blue flower. 

“Damn it,” Prisha shook her head. “It should be so simple, but I’m missing something.”

“May I see that tome?” Aasim asked, holding out his hand. Prisha passed over the book and Aasim quickly scanned through the pages before slamming it shut. “Lower the quantity of the ingredients first and foremost. Then you need to add more water. I’d say a few drops should suffice.”

“Really?” Prisha raised an eyebrow. She didn’t doubt her brother’s advice; she was just unsure whether it would be that simple. Nevertheless she followed his advice and tried to perform the alchemy once more. After a moment of bright light a blue flower stood in the middle of the alchemic circle. Prisha let out a victorious laugh and hugged her brother tightly. 

“It worked! I can’t believe it! Thank you, Aasim.” She pulled back and gave a huge smile before turning to fill her satchel with the different ingredients. After a few seconds she turned sharply on her heel and strode towards the door only to pause for a moment and glance back. 

“Was there a reason for the visit today?” Prisha’s question made Aasim look at his sister.

“Well besides checking on you to make sure you were doing well, I came to let you know Louis wants you at the strategy meeting that will be taking place shortly. Seems there may be a potential ally south of Ericson.”

Prisha gave a short nod. “I’ll be there.” Without another word she disappeared down the hallway and towards the training yard in hopes of finding Violet and surprising her with a gift. 

\-----

Violet could feel the sweat staining her shirt as she looked over at Marlon. His wooden sword was set in front of him, his feet in a defensive stance. She could feel her tension rising with each passing second. Marlon always was a tough opponent; it was due mainly to his strong balance of both offense and defense. His fighting style seemed fitting for the Commander of the Knights. 

With a deep breath she dug her right foot into the grass and pushed forward. Her only hope of winning the fight would be by speed and accuracy. If she could overwhelm Marlon, she could cause him to panic and create an opening. With that determined thought in her mind she swung out her weapon. Marlon blocked it easily but Violet backstepped and launched another attack. Hit after hit was blocked until Marlon’s focus slipped for a second. 

Taking the opportunity, Violet swung her wooden sword harshly to his side. It soon slid across her opponent’s blade. Marlon repositioned his footing and with a quick kick knocked Violet on her back. She let out a rough gasp as she lay on the grass and saw the clouds lazily moving through the sky. Marlon’s face soon appeared in her view, a kind smile on it as he offered his hand. 

“That was close,” he commented as he helped Violet get back up on her feet. 

“I’ll win next time,” Violet mumbled, her hand snatching the cloth that Marlon had tossed her way. 

“I’m sure you will,” Marlon wiped away his sweat on his face and saw that Violet was doing the same. His expression changed slightly as his eyes focused on something behind Violet. 

“Hey, Prisha,” Marlon gave a friendly wave which the alchemist immediately returned. 

“Afternoon, Marlon,” Prisha stopped beside Violet. “Would it be alright if I spoke with Violet? It shouldn’t take too long.”

“Sure,” Marlon gave a firm nod. “She’s earned a break.” 

“Thank you,” Prisha looked over and smiled at Violet before intertwining her fingers with Violet’s. The two started to walk off to a large tree that provided a fair amount of shade.

Marlon’s eyes wandered the training yard, pausing and brightening when he saw Sophie. 

“You up for a match, Soph?” Marlon’s question made the redhead knight jump up from her spot and pick up her wooden sword. Without warning she ran forward and swung it towards the Commander of the Knights. Marlon’s eyes grew large as he lifted up his weapon, causing it to block the incoming attack. A loud crack rang throughout the yard as Sophie shone a confident smile. 

“Better watch out, Mar, or I’m gonna kick your ass!”

Marlon returned the smile, his feet digging into the grass. “Doubt it. Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you.”

Sophie laughed as she was pushed back, her feet sliding against the ground. Her eyes shot up, an excited smile on her face as she started the sparring match with her lover.

Violet glanced back for a moment at the match between Marlon and Sophie before focusing her attention back on Prisha. The alchemist led the way to the tree and sat down, the knight soon joining her side. 

“So,” Violet scratched the back of her neck, “What did you want to talk with me about?”   


“I just wanted to spend some time with you,” Prisha’s thumb gently rubbed the top of Violet’s left hand, pausing when she neared the large scar in the middle of it. Violet’s eyes followed her lover’s gaze down to the scar on her hand. 

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. Ruby says it’s fully healed.” Violet reassured Prisha, a small smile on her face. “At most sometimes it itches.”

“I still find it shocking that you ran across people who ate human flesh,” Prisha shook her head. It always pained her heart whenever she saw the scar Violet had received from that day. Violet’s thumb gently moved in circles on Prisha’s hand, snapping the alchemist out of her thoughts. “Oh, there was one reason why I wanted to speak with you,” Prisha’s words made Violet look over with curiosity. Slowly Prisha slipped her hand out of Violet’s and started to rummage through her satchel. Taking out a container of liquid soot, she covered her index finger and middle finger with it before making an alchemic circle on the ground. 

“Prisha, what-”

“Just wait a moment,” Prisha smiled up at the knight who remained silent and watched as the alchemist gently placed down the different ingredients. After it was set up Prisha took a deep breath and performed the alchemy required. A small faint light emitted from the circle, disappearing after a few moments and revealing a deep blue flower. Violet’s eyes grew large in awe of the feat. Slowly Prisha wiped away the soot on her hand before picking up the delicate flower. “I wanted to get you a gift.” 

Prisha smiled lovingly at Violet. “A morning glory for my morning glory.” Gently she leaned forward and tucked the flower behind the knight’s ear who blushed brightly at the romantic gesture. 

Violet slowly lifted up her hand, brushing the flower with her fingertips. She looked over at Prisha with a warm smile. Slowly she lifted up her hand and cupped Prisha's face, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. Prisha leaned into the kiss, the couple’s hearts soaring as they deepened it. Pulling away, Violet placed her forehead against Prisha’s. “Thank you.” 

“I’m glad,” Prisha smiled. “I wanted a gift worthy of you.”

Violet’s blush deepened at the compliment. Her eyes wandered down to the alchemy circle.“You made a flower with alchemy. It was amazing... You’re amazing.”   


Prisha’ eyes widened as she felt her cheeks grow warm. She took the knight’s hand in hers and placed a soft kiss on her scar. She was about to speak again when Mark ran forward, his armor clanging as he made his way over. The pair looked up at the guard who gave a deep bow. 

“Sorry to interrupt. King Louis requests your presence in the throne room for the meeting.”

“Alright,” Prisha gave a quick nod. She leaned over and planted a small kiss on Violet’s cheek before brushing away the alchemy circle, rising up and walking forward towards the castle. Violet watched for a moment as Prisha’s alchemist robes fluttered and danced in the wind. The knight was lost in the moment, completely dazed by it all until Mark cleared his throat.

“One more thing - have you seen Fivel today?”   


“Yeah, he’s in the royal gardens.” Violet replied simply. 

Mark gave a relieved sigh. “Okay, thanks.” The guard gave one final wave before running off, leaving the knight once again alone with her thoughts. 

Violet sat there, leaning her head against the trunk of the tree as her hand played with the flower in her hair. She wanted to surprise Prisha with a gift too. It would be nice if she could find a flower for her but she didn’t want to just grab some from the royal gardens. Violet’s mind spun with what course of action she should take when she remembered tales of wildflowers that grew in the Deep Forest. Her eyes looked up at the sky and noticed that she was slowly losing the daylight. She would need to leave now if she wanted to still have light for her journey back home. Moving across the walkway she walked to the quarters where her armor and sword were stored. She was in the midst of getting her chainmail on when a familiar voice appeared in the doorway.

“Sneaking off?” Sophie’s bright voice made Violet glance back to see her leaning in the doorway. 

“There’s something I need to do.” Violet stated simply as she worked to get the different pieces of her armor on.

“You have good timing.” Sophie strode forward and began to get her chainmail on. “Marlon was summoned for the strategy meeting, Brody and Minnie are testing out the new shields Mitch made and Clem is having matches with AJ and Willy. So I guess I’ll be going with you.” Sophie moved over and lifted up Violet’s armor and started to help her get it on.

“Soph, I don’t need any help.” Violet’s voice was muffled by the armor.

“Maybe not, but it’s stupid to go alone, especially if you’re wandering outside the kingdom.” Sophie’s statement made Violet pause and look up at her friend's face, studying it carefully.

“Fine,” Violet moved to help Sophie with her armor. Soon the two knights were off towards the stables. 

“That's a beautiful flower,” Sophie smiled over at Violet. “No wonder you're not wearing your helmet. Especially since it’s a gift from Prisha.”

Violet turned her face away, hiding it as it grew a deep red. “Shut up.”

“Alright, alright,” Sophie chuckled as she guided out Hullabaloo and started to put on his saddle. “So, what’s beyond the walls that's caught your eye?”

Violet glanced up from her task of securing the saddle on Orion. “I’ll let you know when we leave.’   


“Okay,” Sophie finished her preparation and got up on her steed. She waited for a moment, giving her horse many pats which he appreciated as they waited for Violet and her speckled horse. Violet gave Orion a few pats then got up on the saddle.

“Ready?” Sophie smiled over at her friend.

“Yeah.”

“Got the trinket?” Sophie’s question made the blonde knight crack the smallest smile. Violet pulled on the string that lay upon her neck and revealed the lucky trinket that Sophie had gifted her many years ago. A trinket she hoped would give the wearer luck and keep them safe no matter where they may be. It was a simple design: a single feather carved from wood of a tree that stood in the center of the kingdom. Sophie beamed at the sight and soon showed off her trinket. 

It was a more rough design, Violet still wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be. It was the only trinket not made from Sophie’s hands. Minnie had worked tirelessly for two nights on the trinket when Sophie had been brought back from being a prisoner in the Kingdom of Howes. Sophie had treasured it ever since, never taking it off her neck. The two quickly tucked away their trinkets and started to guide their steeds towards the western gate. As they approached, a guard asked them to state their business.

“We’re going on patrol,” Sophie stopped Hullabaloo, making the horse do a slight trot in place. “We shall not be gone for more than a few hours.”

“Alright,” The guard nodded and disappeared to start the process of opening the gate.

As soon as the gate was open, Violet and Sophie rode out into the walker-infested world. Sophie unsheathed her sword and sliced a walker clean in half before flicking off the blood. Violet’s blade came crashing down into a walker’s skull. The knight kicked the corpse off her blade then took a deep breath.

“So, mind telling me why you had the urge to go outside the kingdom?” the redheaded knight asked as she cut down another two walkers. 

Violet finished her task of cutting down a member of the living dead before looking over Sophie’s way. “I want to get a flower for Prisha,” she muttered, her gaze quickly turning back to the road.

“That makes sense.” Sophie kicked her heels against her steed’s side to have him pick up the pace. “Since Prisha gifted you one. But why not just take one from the royal gardens?”

“That would be stupid,” Violet shook her head. “Prisha makes a flower out of fucking alchemy and I just stroll a few feet to pick her a flower? I wanted to go out and find a flower in the wild.”

“That’s very sweet,” Sophie smiled in approval but Violet remained quiet. “So, where do you want to search?”

“The Deep Forest.” Violet’s response made Sophie pull on her reins and stop her horse.

“Violet,” Sophie’s tone had become serious.

“I know,” Violet sighed. “I’ve heard the tales but I’ve also heard that wildflowers grow there. Ones that I’m sure don’t grow in the royal gardens.”

Sophie remained silent for a moment, studying her friend’s face. She could see how committed Violet was to go there. “Fine,” Sophie redirected Hullabaloo towards the Deep Forest. “But if either of us even get a feeling of something being off, we won’t hesitate to leave.”

Violet nodded and once again the pair of knights were off, slicing through walkers and talking here and there. It was nearly two hours before they reached the overwhelming forest that covered the area for many miles. The knight’s horses neighed and shook their heads, clearly spooked by whatever lay hidden in the depths of the Deep Forest. Getting off their steeds, the knights held the reins and carefully guided their horses deeper into the dark woods. It felt like an ominous place as though the rumors had more merit than either knight wanted to admit.

“Honestly,” Sophie sighed as she shook her head, “The things we do for the people we care about. It's a miracle we’ve lived this long in this new world.”

“Yeah,” Violet replied simply, her focus entirely on the ground in search of any blossoms. The two searched the different sections of the woods together. They had run across some wildflowers but quickly realized they were ones they had seen in the royal gardens. “It’s worth it though.” Violet spoke up once again, making Sophie glance over her friend’s way.

Sophie gave a soft smile. “True. Nothing is more precious than those connections.” The redheaded knight stopped when she noticed a patch of wildflowers growing beside a withered tree. “Violet.”

Violet stopped in her tracks and looked over to where Sophie’s gaze was. Her eyes immediately brightened when she saw what type of flowers they were. A patch of light, bright blue forget-me-nots stood there, gently swaying back and forth in the breeze. Strolling over, Violet carefully picked a small bouquet of them, a happy smile appearing on her lips as she rose up. As she moved to place them in her saddle’s pouch she was suddenly hit with an unnerving feeling. It felt as though the whole forest was suddenly consumed by this deadly aura. One of bloodlust and malice. Violet could feel a shiver run down her spine. Looking over at Sophie it was clear she had felt it. Her hand protectively grasped her trinket as her eyes danced with fear.

“We’re leaving,” Sophie’s tone took on a somber edge that was rarely heard from her. “Now.” Sophie got back up on her steed and Violet immediately followed suit. The pair of knights galloped out of the Deep Forest and started back on their journey home. They were silent for nearly half the ride back until Sophie spoke up. “I’ll let Marlon know that the Deep Forest isn’t safe.” Sophie’s eyes were hardened as she swung down and decapitated a walker. “I’m sure you felt the same thing I did.” 

Violet gave a short nod. “Stronger than any other place I’ve been.”

Sophie took a shaky breath. “Whatever lurks in the shadows of that place will only bring bloodshed.”

The two continue to ride back to the Kingdom of Ericson with only short conversations to break the silence. It was nearing dusk when they arrived back to the western gate. The guard smiled happily when he saw they had safely returned and worked to open the gate for them. The two knights quickly guided their steeds back into their stables when they were greeted by Minnie who was leaning against one of the beams of the stables.

“Hey, idiots.”

“Hey,” Violet replied before working to put Orion back in his stable.

“Minnie, I-” Sophie’s sentence was cut short when her twin kicked off the beam and strode forward.

“You two went out of Ericson without letting any of us know.” Minnie’s face was tight with anger although her eyes were filled with worry.

“I know and I should’ve said something. It was a stupid mistake.” Sophie’s face fell, her eyes holding a deep look of apology in them. Minnie lightly punched Sophie’s arm then proceeded to wrap her in a tight hug.

“Mistakes get you killed,” Minnie’s voice wavered in her own sentence. Sophie’s grip tightened around her sister and she gave a short nod. Minnie pulled away and noticed Violet walking with a small bouquet of forget-me-nots. The redheaded knight remained quiet for a moment then spoke up.

“Marlon wants all of us in the training yard in twenty minutes. The way he was acting makes me think that strategy meeting went well. I don’t think it will be a usual gathering.”

Sophie and Violet nodded. 

“I can head over there with you now,” Sophie joined her twin’s side.

“I’ll be there soon,” Violet mumbled and turned to leave before either of them could respond. Violet strolled through the hallways of the castle, hiding the flowers so no one could see them. She already knew she’d get some playful teasing from her fellow knights; she didn't need to add any more people to the mix. After a few minutes she came across the door to the alchemy workshop. It was slightly ajar so Violet peeked her head inside to see Prisha fast asleep at her desk. Formulas upon formulas were written on the different papers that littered the alchemist’s desk. Prisha’s form gently rose and fell to the rhythm of her breathing. 

Quietly Violet walked forward, grabbing a scrap of paper and writing Prisha’s name on it. Then she placed the bouquet on the desk with the piece of paper. Violet looked at Prisha and hesitated for a moment before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on her lover’s cheek. Prisha muttered in her sleep and shifted but did not wake. Violet could feel her heart growing all warm and fuzzy when she looked at the alchemist. The knight turned and carefully left the room so as to not wake Prisha. Violet took a deep breath and played with the flower in her hair for a second before turning in the direction of the training yard. Her focus moved away from Prisha and back to her duty as a knight and protector of the Kingdom of Ericson. The gathering of the knights was bound to be interesting. 


	11. Spare no Effort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine years into the apolocapylse the Kingdom of Ericson has a time of peace. One day, Clementine and Violet go on a simple scouting mission that doesn't turn out so simple.

Clementine and Violet sat down in the training yard, sweat trickling down their faces as they focused on catching their breath.

“That was close,” Clementine used the hem of her shirt to wipe away the sweat from her brow. “Almost won this time.”

“Yeah,” Violet took a deep breath and tossed aside her wooden sword. “Would’ve lost if I didn’t notice your tell in time.”

Clementine glanced over at her friend, curiosity dancing within her eyes. “My tell?”

Violet gave a short nod. “It's subtle but once you know it you can work around it.”

Clementine leaned forward, her curiosity burning in her mind at what her tell could possibly be. She was about to ask when she noticed Violet’s gaze focused on the western corridor. Clementine’s eyes glanced that way and caught sight of Marlon. He gave a friendly smile their way but paused when he noticed the wooden swords by their feet. 

“Hey, Marlon,” Clementine returned the smile and looked up at her commander. “Come for some practice?”

“No, I was actually looking for the two of you. I wanted to ask something of you two but it looks like my timing is bad.” Marlon’s question made Violet raise an eyebrow.

“What were you going to ask?” Violet questioned; her hand casually lay on top of her knee.

“I need two of the knights to go scout an area northeast of the kingdom. The maps that the Kingdom of Richmond shared have helped greatly but it's best if we double check all the locations. Especially since there used to be villages there that were part of Ericson.”

“So you want us to go to these villages and find survivors?” Violet looked up at Marlon.

“That and see how well off they are. But it seems like you two may be too tired after training.”

“No, we can do it,” Clementine rose to her feet and started to brush off the grass and dirt that had stuck to her tunic. “Right, Vi?”

“Sure,” Violet gave a shrug and got up from her spot. “Got nothing else planned for the day.”

“Do you know how far away these villages are supposed to be?” Clementine asked as she and Violet made their way to the quarters to prepare. Marlon jogged up and started to walk beside them.

“No, but I only want you two to journey out for a few hours. By the beginning of sunset you two should be turning back and making your way to Ericson.”

“Alright,” Violet pushed open the door and walked inside.

“Great. I’ll let the stables know so they can prepare your horses,” Marlon gave one final smile and dashed off in the direction of the southern entrance of the castle. 

Clementine and Violet watched their commander for a moment then proceeded to work on getting their armor on. Violet walked over and started to grab the chainmail while Clementine strode over to grab their swords and a shield for herself. As she reached out for the shield, the trinket in the shape of an autumn leaf that lay on her neck slipped out from its hiding place. Taking a moment, Clementine put away the trinket, tucking it in her shirt with a small smile.

She wasn’t sure how much luck she truly believed these trinkets held, but nonetheless she was thankful that Sophie had crafted one for her all those years ago. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, the knight placed down the weapons on the table. Slowly the two knights start to get their armor in place, both helping the others to make sure that it was secure. After a few minutes they were nearly complete in their armor when they heard a knock on the door. Looking up they were pleasantly surprised to see Brody there, a kind smile on her face as she looked at her comrades. 

“Heard you’re heading out on a scouting mission.” Brody moved forward and placed away some new weapons and shields that if one were to take a guess were the newest creations of the kingdom’s blacksmith and Brody's husband, Mitch.

“That’s right,” Violet turned and grabbed her helmet, tucking it under her arm while her hand held onto the gauntlets she had yet to put on.

“Just be safe,” Brody had a worried look hidden within the depths of her eyes. Neither of the knights could blame her. They had seen many hardships over the years and to think that a simple scouting mission would be different would be foolish.

“We will,” Clementine had such a confident, reassuring smile on her face that it caused the auburn knight’s shoulders to relax for a moment. Her shoulders immediately tensed up again however when she noticed the shield Clementine had grabbed. It was a simple wooden shield that had seen one too many battles. The wood was starting to crack and splinter and the metal was old and beginning to rust. Clementine looked confused by her friend’s sudden change in expression until she followed her gaze down to her shield.

“Oh, yeah,” Clementine scratched the back of her head. “Guess it’s kind of an old shield.”

“That’s been there since before the world turned to hell,” Brody explained as she walked towards Clementine and offered a new shield. It shone with gold and silver embellishments and looked to be a strong and sturdy shield. Clementine accepted it and placed the other shield on the table. Brody walked over and brushed her left hand over the exterior of the worn-out shield. “It belonged to my mother,” Brody’s words made the other knights grow quiet. A feeling of guilt washed over Clementine before she noticed Violet’s expression grow more somber as her eyes wandered over to the corner of the room where eight swords stood gathering dust. One for each of the knights they had lost. Each sword belonged to that of a soul that was no longer of this realm. 

“Sorry,” Brody’s quiet voice made the others look her way. “Didn’t mean to dampen the mood before you two left. I should go find Ruby,” Brody gave one final smile and strolled out of the room before either could say anything. Although they weren’t sure what they would say if they had been given the opportunity. 

“Let’s go,” Violet simply mumbled before leading the way out of the door. Clementine followed behind, the pair walking in silence until they reached the stables. There waiting for them were their loyal steeds. Orion stood to the left. The dark grey dappled horse shook its mane as it waited impatiently for its rider while Karma seemed calmer, her dark brown eyes focused on the ground as her light brown tail flicked against her chestnut coat. From the looks of it the saddles had already been prepared and their provisions and other necessities were safely tucked away. Violet walked over to her steed and placed down her helmet and gauntlets. Taking a moment for herself she gently brushed her hand over Orion’s mane, recentering herself before her trek outside the gates. After a minute the blonde knight glanced back, a warm smile appearing on her lips when she saw her wife walking towards her. The alchemist’s robes fluttered in the wind as she made her way over to the knight. 

“It seems I came just in time,” Prisha smiled lovingly towards Violet who could feel her heartbeat quicken when Prisha drew near. 

“I shouldn’t be gone for long,” Violet reassured. She could see the fear that lay within the depth of the alchemist’s eyes.

“Of course, just be careful.” Prisha reached out her left hand. The sunlight danced upon the ring on her finger as she grasped Violet’s hand in her own. Violet gently began to brush her thumb over Prisha’s hand and looked up at her wife with a warm smile. 

“Always,” Violet leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon Prisha’s cheek before turning to get her gauntlets on. Once that was finished she turned to give Prisha one final smile only to be surprised when her lips were captured in a deep kiss. Violet’s eyes grew wide before softening as she held onto the kiss. After a few moments the pair pulled away and the knight moved to grab her helmet.

“Well,” Clementine strolled forward, slowly guiding Karma forward. “Seems like it’s just Prisha to send us off.”

“I wish you the safest travels,” Prisha smiled over at her friend who returned the gesture.

“Thanks, I-” Clementine’s sentence was suddenly cut off when they heard frantic footsteps approaching. Turning to look to where the sound was coming from, they soon saw King Louis scrambling forward. His hand haphazardly held onto his crown as he sharply turned the corner.

His expression immediately brightened when he noticed that the knights were still there.

“I didn’t miss it!” Louis ran forward and tackled Violet in a tight hug, causing the knight to nearly fall over. Orion neighed and backstepped at the sudden movement as Violet struggled to regain her footing.

“Louis,” Violet sounded annoyed but the smallest of smiles betrayed her true feelings.

“I couldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye,” Louis held onto the hug for a second longer then pulled back and readjusted his crown. 

“Goodbye,” Violet replied simply and lifted the helmet to place it on her head. “We’ll be back.” Violet’s tone had taken a slightly softer note at those words before her face became hidden behind the helmet.

“That’s good,” Louis beamed at his friend before he turned towards Clementine. “Ready for our customary goodbye hug?”

“I couldn’t leave without it,” Clementine smiled warmly at her king. Louis and Clementine immediately wrapped each other in a long hug. One that seemed to last longer than usual. The two seemed content in the warm hug until they pulled away. Their eyes locked for but a moment as Louis’ eyes wandered down to Clementine’s lips before he became flustered. 

“Oh, I should let you go!” He backstepped and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “You’ve got your knightly duties and I need to ummm…” Louis drew a blank, something that was clear from the expression on his face. He seemed to be too overwhelmed to speak. “Be king!” he exclaimed before turning sharply on his heel and moving back towards the castle. Clementine watched him for a moment, her heart beating rapidly as she watched his silhouette disappear.

“Ready?” Violet asked, her voice drawing the knight’s attention away from the king.

“What?” Clementine looked over to see that Violet had already gotten on her steed. “Oh, right.” She moved forward and soon was ready to depart. As they began to slowly trot towards the gates Violet turned and gave one final wave to Prisha before focusing back on the street in front of her. As they approached the gates they were stopped by a guard.

“State your business.”

“We ride towards the northeast by order of the king.” Clementine declared, causing the guard to rush to work on opening the gates. Once the gates were open the two knights clicked their heels against their steeds’ sides, making them gallop. Unsheathing their blades they began to cut down any walkers that strayed onto their path. They rode in silence at the beginning, only breaking it after they were well away from the kingdom.

“That hug lasted for a while,” Violet’s statement made Clementine nearly miss the walker’s skull that she had aimed for.

“They usually do,” Clementine looked over at her friend who was in the midst of cutting down a walker that seemed entranced by a bug that was on a nearby rock. 

“Yeah,” Violet mumbled and continued to ride in silence for a few minutes. “I think you should just confess.”

Once again Violet’s words threw the knight off her focus as she sliced through a member of the living dead. 

“Vi,”

“What? It is clear that the two of you like each other.” Violet’s casual tone made Clementine’s embarrassment rise. “So just go for it.”

“Says the one who failed to confess. At least that's what I heard from the stories told,” Clementine shot back with a teasing tone. Violet looked over for a second, clearly overwhelmed by that statement. Her pale green eyes soon turned away, hidden behind her golden hair. 

“Yeah, well it still worked out in the end.” 

“True.” It had been a few months since Prisha and Violet’s wedding. To think that everything had worked out for them in the end. To think that it had worked out for all the other couples. It had given Clementine hope that it could be true for herself someday. “It’s just I’ve been so busy keeping the kingdom safe.”

“You’ll always be busy.” Violet stated simply. “It isn’t like this will go away anytime soon,” Violet gestured towards a group of walkers that were fighting over a pile of guts. It was unclear what type of creature had the misfortune of that fate and the knights wanted to keep it that way. “But it's been peaceful within the kingdom for a while.”

Violet’s words did ring true. As of now the Kingdom of Ericson didn’t face any severe threats. Not like any of those in the past few years. For once they had been given a moment of rest in which they could focus on happy, simpler matters. “It has been peaceful. I’m just worried about the rumors that would spread of a knight marrying above her rank,” Clementine’s eyes focused on the road ahead. They were making good time towards some villages that hopefully still stood. 

“That’s bullshit,” Violet shook her head. “You were with Gabe for months and he was a prince so it doesn’t matter.”

Clementine turned her face away. Her friend was right. It hadn’t mattered before so why did it now? She had a fairly good idea why. She was scared. Scared of rejection or of the potential of it not working out in the end. Just as it had with Gabe in the past. It had been a wonderful ten months but just like that the relationship had ended so why wouldn’t this potential new one end the same?

Violet studied Clementine’s face for a moment then looked towards the road. “Don’t force it. Just do what you think is right,” she muttered and returned to slicing down the living dead that roamed the dirt road. Clementine gave a short nod and the two knights once again focused on their task. 

After nearly an hour of travel the pair of knights spotted a village up ahead. Their hearts sank when they saw the state it was in. Small white pillars of smoke danced in the air above the burnt and crumbling village. As they approached it the knights pulled on their reins, stopping their steeds and going on foot as they gently guided the horses forward. A sickening feeling consumed the pits of their stomachs as they saw the burnt remains of the villagefolk. Hands burned black from the fires reached out desperately for help that would never arrive in time. Those who had escaped the flames had not been giving a more merciful death. Bodies lay sprawled on the ground, their guts pulled out, staining the dirt red with their blood. 

Violet turned her face away, her heart aching at the sight. Clementine’s sight remained on the dead, however, seemingly unable to look away from the horrors this world had brought upon these people. The two knights walked in pained silence when they heard a faint sound. Both stopped in their tracks as an arrow flew through the air. The head of the arrow grazed the side of Violet’s armor and landed a foot behind her. The two knights immediately got in a defensive position when they heard a voice, frantic and trembling.

“Don’t move!” A young man appeared from behind one of the burnt buildings, his bow drawn, another arrow notched and ready to fire. “Next time I won’t miss. Remove your weapons and you!” He pointed the bow at Violet. “Remove your helmet.”

Slowly the two knights followed his instructions. Violet carefully placed her helmet on top of Orion’s saddle before taking her blade and placing it firmly in its sheath on Orion’s side. It was best to go along with the man’s wishes for now. It wasn’t as if they were unarmed. Their blades were still within arm’s reach.

“We’re here to help,” Clementine gave a reassuring smile. “We are knights that hail from the Kingdom of Ericson. If you lower your weapon, you can come back with us.”

“Clem,” Violet’s voice made Clementine look over at her friend whose eyes seemed fixated on the right shoulder of the man. Clementine followed Violet’s gaze, her eyes widening when she saw the deep bite on it. The man’s shirt was stained red and a section of his shoulder was missing. His eyes shook with fear when he saw the expression change on the knights’ faces. He pulled the bowstring back further and aimed it directly at the spot in between Violet’s eyes.

“You’re going to help, alright? You need to cut off the bite.”

“It’s on your shoulder. It’s-” Violet started to speak only for the man to raise his voice.

“You’re going to cut it off! Or I’ll shoot!” The man’s voice cracked before his body tensed again and his eyes darted left and right. 

“Alright,” Clementine’s voice drew the man’s attention. “We will try our best. Now please, lower the bow.”

The man considered it for a moment but shook his head violently. “No! If I do, how will I know that you’ll help me!” His voice rang throughout the burnt village, causing the building beside him to come crashing down. Orion and Karma neighed wildly, kicking their hooves and breaking the knights’ grasp on their reins. The two steeds turned and began to gallop out of the village, leaving a pile of dust in their wake.

“Karma, wait!” Clementine cried out to her horse but it was too late.

“Orion!” Violet called out, reaching out her hand. “Damn it!” She turned to glare at the man only to be alarmed when a small horde of walkers emerged from different corners around the village. The man started to scream as he let the arrow fly, hitting a walker in the shoulder. It did nothing to lessen the sheer overwhelming number of walkers that began to crowd him. Clementine and Violet ran forward for a second before freezing in place when the dreadful realization hit them. All their weapons were on the saddles of their horses. Before they had a moment to decide what to do, the ear-piercing cries of the man filled the sky. He watched in horror as the living dead slowly tore through his stomach, pulling out his different organs and consuming them. It was too late for him and with no weapon to end his misery quicker the two knights were forced to stand there in horror.

“We need to get back to Karma and Orion,” Clementine instructed and turned around. “If we’re careful we may be able to catch up to-” Her sentence faltered out when she noticed that a group of walkers had blocked off the exit to the village. Their unearthly groans echoed throughout the destroyed village as they stumbled forward with outstretched arms towards the pair of knights. They were trapped.


	12. Spare no Effort Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The living dead surround the village. Violet and Clementine have no weapons and are only left with one option: escape or die.

Prisha felt the breeze blow through her hair as she kneeled down near a patch of marigolds that stood beside a tall tree. Carefully she began to pick up the flowers and place them inside her satchel. She glanced back at Brody who stood a few paces behind. The auburn-haired knight’s eyes scanned the area around them. Her hand hovered over her blade, only pausing when she felt the alchemist’s gaze on her. 

“My apologies,” Prisha smiled and returned to her task. “I guess I’m still surprised about you being here.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Brody replied. “I’m just here to make sure you’re safe. Can never be too careful outside the kingdom’s walls.” Brody smiled warmly at her friend.

“I suppose that’s true,” Prisha let out a sigh. “But I only needed to be out for a moment, a few feet away from the gates. Besides, it’s not like I’m unarmed,” Prisha patted the dagger that lay on her hip.

“Oh, I don’t doubt your skills,” Brody waved her hands in front of her. “I just had some free time and… well, it helps to know that my friends are safe is all.”

Prisha felt her heart warm at her friend’s kind words. “Alright, then I shall not be long.”

“What ingredients are you gathering today?” Brody peeked to get a closer look at what was in Prisha’s hands.

“Calendula officinalis, more commonly known as pot marigold.” Prisha held up a flower for the knight to see.

“Oh!” Brody’s eyes widened. “My sister gathers that too. Ruby says it's always good for wounds and such. But what are you going to use it for?”

“Similar purposes,” Prisha rose up from her spot. “You see, I found this new alchemic formula that may very well-” The alchemist stopped, however, when she saw that Brody’s focus wasn’t on the conversation. Her eyes seemed to be looking elsewhere and held an emotion that made Prisha’s stomach turn: fear. There galloping towards them were Orion and Karma, their knights nowhere to be seen. Without a word Prisha ran forward and grasped onto Orion’s reins. The horse neighed wildy, the saddle on its back nearly falling off. 

“Orion, where’s your rider?” Prisha’s voice wavered on that sentence. Her eyes wandered down to the saddle that held Violet’s sword. “Where’s Violet?” Her voice cracked on her wife’s name. Her eyes searched Orion’s frightened ones. This couldn’t be happening. Prisha felt her heart stop as she was overwhelmed by a numb feeling. Violet had to be okay. She must. If she wasn’t… Prisha’s mind began to spin with endless devastating outcomes. Each one made her heart twist and ache. Her hands began to shake, causing the steed to kick up some dust in unrest.

“Prisha,” Brody’s voice snapped the alchemist back into reality. “Don’t worry. I’ll report this to the others and we’ll head out. Violet and Clem went northeast so they shouldn’t be far.” Brody had a reassuring smile on her face even though her eyes held a deep level of worry to them. 

Before Prisha could speak up, Brody got on Karma and began to make her way into the kingdom, galloping towards the castle. Prisha watched for a moment then looked back at Orion. The smartest decision would be to wait and let the knights go out in search of Violet and Clem but Prisha’s heart felt differently. Based on the look in Orion’s eyes, he felt the same. Moving her hands to her satchel she searched inside and saw a vial of alchemic flames. Her eyes traveled to her other hip and saw the dagger on it. In that moment the alchemist knew what decision she had to make. Her eyes hardened with determination as she worked to readjust the saddle on the steed who still seemed rather frazzled. 

“It’s alright, everything is going to be fine,” Prisha reassured Orion who seemed unconvinced by the words. The alchemist had hoped they would calm the horse and her heart the same, but they felt hollow in this moment. After a few minutes the saddle was readjusted and Prisha had gotten on the horse. Violet had shown her how to properly ride a horse with Orion many years ago. Prisha was thankful for that small blessing as she clicked her heels against Orion’s sides. Orion whinied and kicked his legs in the air, causing Prisha to desperately hold onto the reins as the steed galloped forward. 

Orion was a loyal and smart horse; the alchemist had no doubt he would guide her back to Violet. Prisha gritted her teeth as her knuckles grew white around her grip on her dagger. Slicing through any member of the living dead that dared stand in her way, she began to make a bloody path towards the northeast. She barely held back tears as her worst tears plagued her mind of what could’ve happened with Violet. If she was dead… Prisha felt sick to her stomach at the thought; it felt as though she couldn’t breathe. No death was kind in this world and even after death it didn't necessarily mean you were gone. If Violet had gotten bit and turned... Prisha was so lost in thoughts it wasn’t until she heard the sound of hooves beating harshly against the dirt road a few paces behind her that she snapped back into reality. 

“Prisha!” Louis’ voice called out as he caught up with her.

Karma neighed slightly as Louis pulled on the reins to readjust the speed. 

“Louis?” Prisha looked surprised for a moment before her eyes grew hard as she swung down and embedded her dagger into a walker’s skull. “You can’t stop me!” Prisha’s eyes shot over to her king. “I'll find Violet no matter what!”   


“I’m not stopping you,” Louis swung his sword and cut a walker’s face clean in two. “I’m here to help. Violet… Clem,” His voice tightened on that name. “I won’t lose them!” Louis shook his head, trying to focus as his thoughts consumed him. He had been such an idiot. All this time, all these years he had been pining after Clementine. Wishing for a future he thought would be impossible and because he was so set on believing that he had never gotten up the courage to confess how he really felt. And now here he was, riding into the unknown, unsure whether Clementine would be alive or dead when he found her… if he found her.

He felt as though his heart was gone, numb to everything but the anxiety he felt as he rode alongside Prisha. Based on the aura that swirled around the alchemist she was clearly just as terrified as he was. Prisha’s eyes were filled with anger and fear as she harshly cut down the living dead. Louis could tell Prisha was panicking. He couldn’t blame her. Prisha and Violet had practically been inseparable since they had gotten together and now after only being married a few months, for something like this to happen at this moment... It was a miracle that Prisha was still able to keep moving forward. Louis sliced through another walker and flicked away the blood from his blade. His eyes looked down at Karma who seemed antsy as well. His mind suddenly traveled back to the moments that led up to him rashly riding off to find Clem and Violet. He was sure that the knights and the others were worried about the two of them riding off.

\-----

“I’m going,” Marlon moved to get to the stables to saddle up Oblivion but was stopped by Minnie.

“No,” The redheaded knight stated simply. “Brody and I will go.” Minnie moved past her commander and started to guide Nightshade out of her stable.

“Minerva,” Marlon’s voice took on a harsher tone. “Two of our own are out there unarmed. We don’t know if they’re alive or dead. Prisha and Louis went after them. My best friend is riding out into unknown danger! I’m going.”

“Stay behind,” Minnie hissed as she glared at her commander. “The last thing we need is more reckless riders out there.”

Marlon remained silent as he held his friend’s gaze. Both Minnie and Brody seemed unwilling to budge on their stance.

“I made it!” Sophie skidded to a stop, taking short, tense breaths as she held her hands on her knees for a moment. “I want to go,” She strode forward only to stop when she saw the look in Minnie’s eyes.

“No, both of you are too emotionally involved,” Minnie got up on her horse, trying her best to hide the fact that her hands were trembling. Her fear of what fate had befallen her friends was getting to her but she couldn’t let the others see. “Brody, are you ready?”   


“Ready,” Brody’s voice wavered ever so slightly as she moved to guide Alora towards the gate. 

“Wait!” Aasim ran forward, tripping as he tried to catch the knights in time. “Please,” he took a shaky breath, the bow on his back moving with his breath. “Take me with you. Prisha,” He took a deep breath, “I need her to be safe.”

“Then trust us,” Minnie turned Nightshade towards the gate before glancing behind her. “Keep the kingdom safe.” With that she tapped her heels against her steed’s side. Brody followed right behind her and they galloped towards the gate, hoping to catch the two rash friends that had gone after their fellow knights, all certainly in grave danger. 

\----

Violet could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she watched the living dead slowly close off all possible escapes from the destroyed village. Her eyes darted left and right, frantic for any semblance of hope. That's when she noticed a small gap in between two clusters of walkers. Any second now it would be gone. 

“Clem, follow me,” Violet sprinted forward, her friend not far behind as they slipped through the living dead, barely escaping their cold dead hands that hungered for flesh. Violet continued to weave her way through the small area of the village as Clementine brandished her shield. Their shields were the only things either had to use as a weapon. As long as they outran the living dead and were able to slip out of this decimated village there was hope. Hope that they would make it back to the Kingdom of Ericson. But that faint glimmer soon faded when Violet saw that she had guided them into a dead end. 

“Shit, fuck!” Violet ran a hand through her hair as she tried to find another way.

“It will be okay,” Clementine reassured, “We just need to remain calm and-” Clementine’s hopeful expression turned somber when she noticed that three of the walkers had followed them. Not many paces behind the trio of corpses loomed a set of five of the living dead. The only blessing given to the knights in that moment was the fact that those five were currently having trouble with the half-standing foundation of a building nearby. 

Violet immediately turned her attention onto finding an object she could wield as a weapon while Clementine strode forward. She needed to buy Violet time to defend herself. The first walker’s eyes wandered over to where Clementine stood when it heard her heavy footsteps. With an unnerving groan it stumbled forward, grasping the air in hopes of a meal, only to receive a swift kick to its knee causing it to kneel. Clementine lifted the shield and sent it crashing down against the walker’s skull. Each time she did, a wet, squelching sound emitted from the attack. The walker blindly waved its arms as its rotten blood stained the knight’s shield. Clementine was nearly done braining her first opponent when the second lunged forward. Forced to go back on defense, the young knight raised her shield just in time to block the walker’s first attempt at consuming her. She was quickly pushed back into a corner.

“Clem!” Violet ran forward only for her ankle to be grasped by the walker who still kneeled, its brain matter slipping down its face. Violet gritted her teeth as she kicked off the walker and ended its miserable existence when her armored foot crushed its skull to a bloody pulp. The blonde knight took a second to recenter herself when an unearthly sound came near her left ear. Spinning on her foot, Violet lifted her gauntlet just in time to block the walker’s bite. It stared at her, its milky eyes lifeless yet terrifying as its brittle teeth scraped useless again her gauntlet. Violet quickly undid her left gauntlet. Grasping onto the gauntlet with her right hand, she threw the walker against a wall, pressing with all of her might as she tore off its lower jaw. The jaw fell to the ground with a wet thud as she kicked down the walker and slammed her heel deep into its skull. 

Violet instantly grabbed her gauntlet and moved to help Clementine who seemed to have turned the dire situation in her favor. Slipping from underneath the arm of the walker, she forced the monster to hit the corner where she had previously been. With a mighty swing Clementine’s metal shield embedded itself into the skull of the living dead. Its body grew limp as any semblance of life in those milky white eyes disappeared. Clementine grunted as she harshly yanked out the shield and took a shaky breath. “You alright?” She looked over at Violet who gave a nod. 

“Yeah, no bites. You?” Violet asked as Clementine flicked off some brain matter from her shield. 

“No bites. Gotta focus though,” She motioned with her head over to a group of walkers that was slowly but surely making their way towards the pair of knights. “We’ve got company.”   


Violet repositioned the gauntlet on her hand and strode forward, taunting one of the walkers with the loose piece of armor. One took the bait and Violet immediately grasped the gauntlet in her hand and yanked back the walker, throwing it towards Clementine. The shield soon collided with the walker’s skull repeatedly until that one was dead. Clementine glanced up and saw that Violet was herding the walkers in a way that would give them the best chance. But it wasn’t without risk: Violet continued to use her gauntlet to her advantage as she threw walkers backwards, but one was getting dangerously close to the blonde’s neck. Dashing forward, Clementine threw her weight behind her shield and pushed over the walker that had nearly tasted Violet’s blood. 

Violet gave a small smile as she slammed a walker’s skull into a standing broken beam, ending its fragile existence. That was two down; there were still three remaining. Clementine taunted a walker, drawing it in with sound. It swayed left and right as it gave a soulless moan. The knight waited for the perfect moment, her feet slowly backstepping until it had reached the spot she needed it to be. Kicking out its leg, Clementine pushed its chest down, pinning it in between two slabs of stone. Grabbing a nearby rock, Clementine bludgeoned it to death before turning to see that Violet had successfully skewered another walker’s head on the broken beam. She quickly spun around and used her gauntlet to break the walker’s teeth before digging her foot into its soft skull. 

The two knights’ chests heaved as they took in the rare moment of rest from fighting. 

“We need to move,” Clementine strode forward and repositioned the shield on her right arm. Her golden brown eyes scanned the area around them, pausing when she saw another makeshift alleyway. “This way.” Clementine took the lead as Violet followed nearby, always prepared for another attack. Sneaking over the pair quietly entered the alleyway where they took another moment to catch their breaths. Violet leaned her head back before glancing down at her left hand, now covered with brain matter and blood. The knight soon felt her friend’s presence on her hand and glanced over to Clementine. 

“Don’t worry, it’s not my blood.” Violet’s gaze returned to her hand, her other brushing away the blood that covered her wedding ring. Violet’s eyes grew more somber when the silver ring was revealed. 

“We’ll make it home.” Clementine’s confident voice made Violet’s eyes look up and lock with hers. “I promise. You’ll see Prisha again.”

Violet’s eyes fell to the ground before glancing over to the street that was filled with walkers. Some were still fighting over the remains of the man they had encountered while others were distracted by the old guts of the villagers long dead. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Violet muttered as she readjusted her gauntlet back on her hand. Her pale green eyes searched hopelessly at the overwhelming amount of living dead that plagued this forsaken village. Knights in the past had died in more hopeful situations than the one they were trapped in.

“I don’t.” Clementine stated simply. Violet’s eyes grew wide at the statement for a moment then were once again hidden as she looked the other way. “Let’s keep moving,” Clementine instructed, beginning to walk away, causing Violet to follow suit. The two knights tried their best to remain as quiet as possible, hoping that would draw as little attention as they could. Clementine led the way, making a path towards the south where they had originally entered the village. “We can go through the burnt buildings and get out of here if we’re quiet,” Clementine whispered back to Violet who gave a short nod. 

The pair began to sneak through the first building, crouching and freezing every few moments as walkers drew near. Violet gathered pebbles along the way, sharing them with Clementine who had a confident guess in what her friend’s intentions were with the rocks. Slipping through the first destroyed house they moved on to the next, this time running into more resistance as four walkers blocked the path to the next building. 

Taking out a pebble, Clementine threw it across the way, hitting a corner of the building. Two of the walkers glanced up from their meaningless haze and began to mosey over towards the faint sound. Clementine took a deep breath and threw another pebble, followed by two thrown by Violet. The collective sound of those rocks drew the last two living dead away from the spot and opened up an opportunity for the knights to sneak towards the last building they needed to get through. 

Clementine’s eyes studied the structure of the last building. A fourth of the second floor still remained held together by beams that seemed to be anything but sturdy. It was a risk entering that building, but looking over at the swarm of walkers gathering around it was their only choice. The pair snuck forward into the remnants of the house only to freeze when they noticed two young corpses charred beyond recognition lay in their path. Taking a shaky breath, Clementine stepped over the corpses, whispering a quick apology as she made her way forward. Her eyes focused on the surroundings for a minute, noticing the remains of a peaceful household. Dishes were cracked on the ground and wooden shelves and panels were charred and cast aside in the rubble of the building. The knight paused for a moment, shaking her head to force herself back into focus. Violet stood beside her and gave a faint smile before taking the lead when all of a sudden a loud groan echoed from above. 

“Clem, watch out!” Violet yelled. Her hands gripped round Clementine’s arms as she pulled her friend backward. But it seemed the effort was not enough. The remaining section of the second floor had crumbled, the rubble crashing down and crushing Clementine’s left leg. Clementine stifled a scream as best she could but it didn’t stop a pained, agonizing sound from pouring forth from her lips. 

“Holy shit!” Violet looked at the event in disbelief. The armor surrounding Clementine’s left leg had been shattered, revealing a bloodied and bruised leg exposed and at risk for more danger. “Fuck. Hold on, Clem.” Violet slid over to the side of the rubble and began to try and lift the heavy stone to free her friend. She could feel her hands trembling as she struggled to lift up the rubble, only successfully getting it up a few inches. Not nearly enough for Clementine to be able to get out of the debris. Violet could feel her panic rising as she willed herself to keep pushing when Clementine’s frightened voice drew her attention away from the rubble.

“Violet! Watch out!” Clementine warned as the first of many walkers stumbled into the fallen house. Every walker in the village was beginning to make their way to the spot where the loud sound had come from. Violet’s eyes danced with fear as she backstepped and searched the ground for any weapons. Seeing a panel of wood, she snatched it up and jabbed it into the first walker’s skull. Kicking off the corpse with a grunt, she looked around at the overwhelming number of them. There must be dozens here. Just what the hell had befallen this village? 

Violet shook away her thoughts when she noticed another member of the living dead getting too close to her friend. Embedding the sharp wooden panel into the skull, she wiped out another walker. One less to deal with, but it gained her very little hope as four more moved forward. Clementine grunted as her fingers desperately tried to reach a small section of a wooden beam. A walker moved ever closer to the young knight but Violet could not run to help her for she was busy with two more opponents of her own. Using her left gauntlet Violet caught the teeth of another walker, stopping it in place for a moment as she took the opportunity to stab the walker to her right with her makeshift weapon. The weapon became stuck in the right walker, causing a wave of fear to wash over Violet as she desperately tried to kick it off only to feel more dread when her left gauntlet slipped off her hand, making the member of the living dead stumble backwards for a moment.

Violet’s eyes hardened as she forcefully pulled out the wooden panel from the skull with a wet squelching sound. Her heart fell as she saw even more walkers appearing in the fallen one’s place. Her eyes glanced down at Clementine who had successfully impaled two walkers through the brain. Sadly it seemed to do very little to help Clementine as the corpses had collapsed onto top of her, pressing down harshly on her chest as she struggled to breath while fighting for her life. Violet could feel the hopelessness overwhelm her as she saw a dozen walkers stumbling towards them. A feeling she was sure her mentors had felt before their deaths.

“We’re….” Clem’s voice was weak, her breath uneven as she took down another walker. “Making it home.” Violet could see the unshed tears in her friend’s eyes. Even now Clementine was fighting to survive even when it looked like all hope was lost. Violet could feel her resolve reforming as she dug her weapon into the shallow head of a walker. They had to fight. The blonde knight looked up at the small group of the living dead staggering forward. Even if they died, they would fight until their last breath. That's what all the knights had done before and it was what these two would do now. Take as many of these hellish beings with them into the afterlife. 

Violet kicked off a walker and took out another when one bit down on her right gauntlet. Before she had a chance to counter, a walker appeared to her left, forcing her to use her vulnerable arm to push against it. Her hand began to sink into the soft tissue of the undead’s chest, her fingers staining with guts and blood as she struggled. A worried sound drew Violet’s gaze as she saw a walker crawl towards Clementine, the lower half of its body long gone. Its grimy, cold hands grasped at the area near Clementine’s leg.

It was over. Their struggle would soon be done, their lives snuffed out by the living dead. Violet screamed, trying to force the walkers back in hopes she would at least buy her friend a few more precious seconds but it was no use. The rotten, decaying teeth of the living dead were nearing Violet’s throat, ready to taste her flesh. 

“Over,” Clementine struggled to speak as she hit the shield that lay on her right arm against the ground, making a soft clanging sound. “Here.” 

“Clem,” Violet’s eyes widened when she figured out what her friend was trying to do. “Stop! Over here!” Violet spat, her eyes glowering at the dozen walkers shuffling towards the pair. “You want a meal? I’m right here!”

“Vi,” Clementine coughed out. “No.”

Violet didn't listen to her friend’s last plea though. Even if it only bought Clementine a few more moments, it would be worth it. Violet felt an overwhelming sadness fill her heart as she continued to push back. It would only be seconds now. Violet glared at the walkers who seemed to have followed her voice, all except one who had successfully grabbed Clementine’s leg. Violet yelled one final time, her throat raw with rage and despair.

Only for her eyes to widen in shock when she heard a glass vial shatter and saw the dozen members of the living dead consumed by a sea of unearthly green flames. Emerging from the flames was Louis who brandished a sword, riding Karma as she landed safely on the other side of the flames. With an angry cry he leaned over and sliced through the walker’s head that hovered over Clementine’s leg. A second later Prisha appeared from the flames riding Orion, her dagger quickly meeting with the skull of the walker that was to Violet’s left. 

“Violet!” Prisha tossed over the knight’s sword. Violet gave a mighty kick and pushed off the other walker, catching her sword with ease before unsheathing it and using the cold metal to end its hollow life. Violet took a second to check her surroundings for any more enemies but they were swiftly dealt with by Prisha and Louis’ blades, both of which cut down their enemies with unyielding hatred. After a moment it was clear that all the walkers in the room had been dealt with.

“Vi!” Prisha jumped down from the steed and ran forward, wrapping Violet in a loving hug. Violet’s arms immediately wrapped around Prisha’s back, desperately clinging onto the fabric of her alchemic robes as her own body trembled. The knight could feel her wife’s body shake as well, held tightly against her. “I thought I lost you,” Prisha whispered into Violet’s ear, her voice wavering on her sentence as tears began to stain her face. Violet buried her face deeper against Prisha’s form. Her mind was still processing what had just occurred. It felt unreal, to be able to be in Prisha’s warm embrace, yet here she was. She wished for this moment to never end. To disappear in it and live in the comfort of it. Violet could feel her throat burning with emotion when she heard her king’s frantic voice.

“Clem!” Louis jumped off of Karma and began to try and lift up the rubble but was failing on his own. “Help me!” he begged as he looked at his two friends. Violet and Prisha immediately went over and pushed aside the walker corpses that covered their friend. Clementine let out a sharp gasp as she breathed in the air that her lungs had been denied. Soon the three of them positioned themselves around the rubble and with all their might pushed it aside, freeing the knight. Prisha and Violet dragged Clementine away from the rubble to a clear patch of ground. Louis ran over, skidding onto his knees, and wrapped Clementine in a hug. 

“Clem, I-” Louis’ voice cracked as he pulled back. He looked into her eyes, getting caught up and lost in the moment until he leaned forward, capturing her lips in a warm, tender kiss. Clementine’s eyes widened before she leaned into the kiss. The two deepened the kiss, practically melting in it before pulling back with teary eyes and warm smiles. Before either could speak, a loud, unnatural groan appeared nearby. The four looked up and saw that there were still more walkers outside to be dealt with. 

“Can you stand up?” Louis offered his hand and gently helped Clementine to her feet. 

She hissed in agony, a wave of pain overwhelming her body. “My foot,” Clem’s voice was dry. “I think it’s broken.”

“That’s okay,” Louis guided her over to Karma. “Ruby will help you out when we get home.” He gave a hopeful smile to Clementine before looking toward the others. “Can you help me get her on Karma?”

Prisha strode forward and helped get Clementine up while Violet took out the first few stragglers that made their way over. As soon as Clementine was safely on her own horse, Violet ran over and got on Orion. Offering her hand to Prisha, the knight helped her wife onto her steed as Orion trotted in place. Prisha wrapped her arms around Violet’s waist as the knight guided the horse forward. 

Louis got onto Karma’s back in front of Clementine. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered back to her as she held onto him. Her forehead was laden with sweat that stained the back of his royal garments as she leaned against him. “We’re going home.”   


“Home,” Clementine whispered with a small smile. Louis smiled back at Clementine before looking over at the walkers who blocked their path. There seemed to be around ten of them. Nothing they couldn’t handle. Not when they were so close to be safe. Louis’ grip tightened around his sword. 

But before any of the four could attack, an arrow flew through the air and landed in the back of one of the walker’s skulls. Its body went limp and fell to the ground, revealing Minnie and Brody behind it. The two knights’ eyes brightened when they saw their friends alive and safe. With that knowledge the pair of knights sliced through the remaining walkers. Brody viciously cut down the five members of the living dead that plagued the left side while Minnie made quick work of the four on the other. Soon the exit was clear. Minnie and Brody galloped forward and stopped in front of the others.

“You’re alive!” Brody beamed at her friends. The red rims around her eyes made it clear that she had been crying. 

Minnie cleared her throat in hopes it would stop her emotions from overwhelming her. “I’m glad you’re safe,” The redheaded knight smiled over at her friends. The smile faded for a moment though when a fear entered Minnie’s mind. “None of you were bitten, were you?”

“No,” Violet replied, holding out her left arm as proof. “Neither of us got bit.”

“Prisha and I are fine too,” Louis gave a reassuring smile that faltered for a second. “Clem is injured though so we need to get back.”

“Then let’s not wait any longer,” Brody turned around Alora. “It’s time to go home,” With those final words, Brody kicked her heels against her steed’s sides and started to gallop off, the rest of them right behind her. As Minnie and Brody cleared a path back to the kingdom, Violet and Clementine shared a quick look, thankful that they were alive. Thankful that they were heading home. 


	13. A Memorable Winter Solstice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The knights of Ericson along with the others begin their celebration of the Winter Solstice.

“Snowmen?” Clementine glanced at her fellow knights with confusion. 

“Yeah, it’s easier to show than explain but it's really fun,” Brody moved to grab her shield. “Unfortunately this year we have to make them outside the walls.”

“Why’s that?” Clementine asked, having a vague memory of what she was told a few days ago when Marlon had made the announcement.

“It’s because the wall in the northern district is in need of some repair and Louis wanted to give them the rest of the day off. We’re just there until some guards can cover for us.”

“We don’t have to play in the snow today,” Violet mumbled, her eyes focused on her task of checking the sharpness of her blade. “It’s just that Louis wants to do it on the winter solstice.”

“Come on, it’s tradition.” Sophie’s voice appeared in the doorway, a huge grin on her lips. “Or have you already forgotten all the fun you had last year? Especially with Prisha.”

Violet’s face grew bright red at her best friend’s teasing. The blonde knight sheathed her blade and strolled forward. “Let’s go.”

“Alright, alright,” Sophie moved aside, giving a friendly smile to her friend. Brody and Clementine soon followed and the four knights were walking towards the northern district. Their feet crunched under the freshly fallen snow as they strolled among the white-covered houses.

“So, the winter solstice,” Clementine spoke up, causing her friends to glance over her way. “What is it?”

“Well, it's basically the shortest day of the year where there are the longest hours of darkness in the year. Today’s the day we celebrate the changing of seasons.” Brody explained as she led the way. “There was also something to do with astronomy, right, Vi?”

“Yeah, it's the start of astronomical winter.” Violet’s focus wasn’t on the conversation much, her eyes too busy looking at the beautiful falling snow.

“But the most important thing is how we celebrate!” Sophie jumped into the conversation. “We make snowmen, drink apple cider,” The redhead knight counted the items on her fingers, “Oh! And all the food!” Sophie clutched her stomach with a dreamy smile. “The goose, nuts, berries and potatoes!”

“You can see that Soph is already more than excited about Omar’s special meal.” Brody had a playful smile on her face as she looked back at her friend. Clementine gave a small chuckle at that.

“Hey! This is only the second year that we get great food like since the world fell to the living dead,” Sophie shot back. Clementine was about to ask another question when Brody paused in her tracks. 

“We’re here,” The auburn knight pointed at the gates where a guard stood and asked for their reasoning for leaving the kingdom.

“To protect the hole in the wall over there,” Violet pointed at the spot with a somewhat grumpy tone. 

“Oh, right! Of course!” The guard scurried off to open the gate, soon revealing blood-stained snow where walker corpses lay. It seemed they weren’t the first to appear outside the walls. As they rounded the corner to get to their destination they were surprised to see they were actually last to arrive. Mitch was in the middle of a heated snowball fight with AJ and Willy who seemed more than willing to use every advantage they had on the blacksmith. AJ used his short height to attack Mitch’s legs while Willy jumped high in the air and dunked a pile of snow on his older brother. Mitch shook off the snow and began to chase the two younger boys who laughed with glee as they dodged his snowball attacks. The trio ran past Omar who was in the middle of making a snow angel beside Tenn who was working on one of his own. The pair talked casually here and there as they enjoyed their winter fun. 

“Hey, careful!” Aasim warned as a stray snowball from Mitch nearly hit him.

“Shit, sorry!” Mitch called back before laughing as he caught up with his younger brother and started to attack him with snow. Aasim shook his head and returned to his conversation with Ruby about his favorite aspects of the winter celebration. By the walls were Marlon and Minnie who were watching for any living dead that may creep upon and ruin the rare fun that their friends were enjoying. Their hands hovered over their blades as they scanned the white-dusted area around them. 

Minnie struggled to focus, however, because Renata stood beside her, flirting and stealing kisses here and there. Next to the pair of the knights were Prisha and Louis who seemed to be mapping out the best spots for some sort of activity when Louis paused and looked up as he heard the four knights making their way over. His eyes instantly brightened when he saw Clementine and he made his way over immediately, followed closely behind by Prisha.

“You guys are finally here!” he exclaimed happily. “And just in time.”

“In time for what?” Clementine looked intrigued by all the events that were happening around her. A small smile was on her lips as she watched AJ having fun with the others. 

“For the newly annual snowman building contest!” Louis smiled brightly.

“Yes!” Sophie pumped her fist. “We’re not too late!”

“Better watch out though, I’m known as quite the snowman building master.” Louis pulled proudly on the sides of his winter outfit. Violet gave a short snort.

“By whom?”

“I’ll have you know that I won the competition last year.” Louis replied with a confident grin.

“Barely,” Violet crossed her arms. “Prisha and I almost won.”

But you didn’t,” Louis had a smug smile on his face.

“So how does this work?” Clementine’s question stopped the two friends from continuing to banter. They looked over her way. 

“The rules are simple: We split up into teams of two and each team builds a snowman. Omar will judge,” Louis motioned over to the young cook who gave a short nod and smile. “And winners will get an extra serving of Omar’s dessert.”

“Oh yes!” Sophie’s eyes danced with excitement. “Just watch me and-”

“But this year,” The young king interrupted the knight. “We’ll make it interesting.”

“You mean it’s not already interesting having it outside the wall?” Prisha countered, her eyes occasionally looking out onto the snow-covered land surrounding the castle.

“No, because we’re all equipped with weapons,” Louis patted his royal sword at his hip. “And if we’re lucky we won’t even need to use them. Anyway, to make it interesting we will pair up randomly.”

“Alright,” Violet gave a shrug.

“Sounds fun,” Brody added with a smile when she caught sight of Mitch who locked eyes with her and ran over to join her.

“Hey, Brody,” Mitch smiled at his lover before capturing her lips in a quick, gentle kiss. The couple seemed lost in it for a moment when all of a sudden the blacksmith’s younger brother continued to attack him with snow. “Willy, AJ cut it out for a minute will ya!” Mitch bellowed.

The two younger boys stopped for a moment, looking sad, but that quickly passed as they started up a new game of their own.

It took a few minutes for the king to get his friends to stop their various winter activities and listen to his announcement. “Alrighty, so we’re gonna do a snowman building contest while Omar, Ruby, Willy, Tenn and AJ stay close to the wall and have their own special winter celebration.” Louis began.

“What kind of winter fun?” Willy looked over at Omar and Ruby with a curious expression. 

“We’re gonna build our own snow castle,” Ruby gave a warm smile that grew when she saw that the younger kids seemed excited by it.

“Can we build snow knights around them?” AJ asked, the excitement clear in his eyes.

“Sure,” Omar nodded. “As long as we stay by the wall.” Everyone knew that they couldn’t have excluded the younger kids from the winter solstice celebration but with this year including having to guard a part of the wall they were especially nervous. So they would take every necessary precaution so that they could still have fun with Willy, Tenn and AJ who seemed happy to be hanging out with their siblings and loved ones. 

“Can Clem join us?” AJ spoke up once more.

“Sure, I can for a bit.” Clementine offered a smile. 

“Okay, Clem will just join a team later on. Now that that’s cleared up, it’s time to pair off!”

It was a rather simple pairing system and soon all of the participants were paired off. There were five teams in total: Marlon and Louis, Violet and Sophie, Prisha and Renata, Minnie and Mitch and lastly Brody and Aasim. Some of the pairs immediately hit it off while others didn’t. Marlon and Louis worked well together, giving each other encouragement as they worked to roll the first large snowball. 

“Better watch out, Soph.” Marlon huffed as he worked to place the second snowball on the base of the snowman. “Looks like me and Lou are taking it this year.”

“Ha!” Sophie flashed a confident smile. “Don’t count me and Vi out just yet.” 

Violet nodded in agreement as she worked to push the base of her snowman into place with Sophie. 

“It does seem like it will be close, but don’t forget who won last year.” Louis worked to start on the next part of the snowman with Marlon.

“Yeah, whatever,” Violet replied, picking up sticks for the arms of the snowman. 

“Well, either way I think we’re doing better than most,” Marlon nodded over to Prisha and Renata who seemed to be doing more arguing than teamwork.

“No, don’t you see that this part should be smaller than the base?” Prisha sighed in annoyance.

“There’s nothing wrong with a curvy snowman,” Renata placed her hands on her hips as she stood beside their snow man that had a much larger middle section than the base. 

“I’m not-” Prisha pinched the bridge of her nose. “My point is that a snowman has certain basic steps to it that will make it look correct and remain physically stable.”

“Are you saying Sir Snowington is ugly?” Renata gave a playful smile, her hands busily starting on the final section of the snowman. 

“No, I… never mind.” Prisha decided it was best not to argue and rather continue the work on the snowman. Her eyes wandered over to Violet for a moment, completely captured by her beauty. The alchemist was so caught up in it she failed to notice as she held up a pile of snow and dropped it on the court jester. 

“Gaaah!” Renata exclaimed as she writhed on the ground. 

“Oh, my apologies!” Prisha looked down in shock at her mistake.

“Is this punishment for liking curvy snowmen?” Renata shook her legs, hoping to get the snow off of them.

“What? No! I would never do something like this for a simple reason like that.” Prisha added defensively.

“It’s okay - we can still win.” The court jester gave a bright smile. “We just gotta make sure ours is better than the others!”

“I don’t know how we’ll do that, but maybe we’ll not place last.” Prisha glanced over at Minnie and Mitch’s snowman that looked like it had just gotten out of a fight. What in the world had those two been doing with their time?

“I gotta say our snowman is looking pretty badass!” Mitch grunted as he threw another huge pile of snow to his side of the snowman. Minnie took a couple seconds to respond, giving only a simple nod. She was rather distracted by Renata who was in the middle of debating with Prisha whether or not to add the jester hat on the snowman. Snowflakes were scattered around in the court jester’s hair that made the redheaded knight’s heart flutter. 

“Minnie, you better watch that side. It looks like shit,” Mitch’s voice snapped the knight back into reality.

“Oh fuck,” Minnie caught part of the face that was in the process of falling onto the ground. With some effort she was able to push it back into place but it made the snowman look like it had one puffy cheek. Minnie was expecting her partner to say something but then she caught Mitch too entranced by Brody. The auburn knight was in the middle of placing some pebbles in place on the three sections of her snowman. The young blacksmith was so caught up that he ended up putting one of the sticks right where the eye should.

“Mitch, you missed.” Minnie’s statement made Mitch look back at the snowman and let out an annoyed groan. 

“Shit,” Mitch grumbled before a smile appeared on his lips. “Maybe we can make it work. Make our snowman stick out.”

Minnie studied their snowman carefully, seeing all the odd lumps and mistakes. The knight glanced over at her twin who was having the time of her life as she ran around gathering up a few sticks and such to place on her snowman. Sophie was more excited about the prize of dessert than she was. Minnie gave a shrug. “Works for me.” With that the pair started on their own snowman once more.

“Just a little to the right,” Brody instructed, causing Aasim to shift his feet as he moved the top section of the snowman an inch over. “Perfect.”

Aasim let out a shaky breath and stood back to look at his and Brody’s craftsmanship. “I have to say it is looking quite nice.” He looked over and shared a smile with the auburn knight.

“It’s lovely,” Brody strolled forward along with Aasim who readjusted the bow on his own back, handing over the sticks for her to place. They just needed to add a few more finishing touches and their snowman would be complete. 

“I must say, it has been really nice working with you,” Aasim spoke up as he placed one of the eyes. His statement made a warm smile appear on Brody’s lips.

“It has been nice. Seems we’re doing better than some of the others too,” Brody nodded over to Mitch and Minnie who were struggling to sell their odd snowman. Beside them were Prisha and Renata and a snowman with half of its face melted for some odd reason. Bits and pieces of the argument between the alchemist and court fool carried over the wind. 

“Why would… acid… face.” Prisha’s annoyance was clear in her voice.

“It’s fine...hat.. fix everything.” Renata gave a reassuring smile that didn’t ease the alchemist’s annoyance.

Aasim gave a chuckle when he heard the words of the argument. “True.” He looked over towards Ruby and Omar, a kind smile appearing on his lips. “Looks like they’re having fun.” 

Brody looked over and saw Tenn working hard on decorating the snow castle as Willy ran this way and that to get stuff for the snow knight. Omar and AJ were in the middle of working on one of the walls while Ruby used the snow gathered by Willy to finish up the snow knight’s base. Both Omar and Ruby kept a close eye out for any danger. But both of them seemed happy with their time with the younger kids. The pair had gentle smiles on their faces as they moved around to help the young trio. 

“I’m glad,” Brody turned back to place a stick in place for one of the arms. “Looks like we’re almost done.”

Aasim gave a short nod in response and the pair started their work up once more. 

After about twenty minutes had passed the teams were nearly done, when all of the sudden Omar’s deep voice spoke up. “Watch out. Walkers incoming.” The young cook’s statement made all the knights immediately stop what they were doing and unsheathe their weapons. Ruby moved to guide the three younger boys behind the shelter of their snow castle while the others dealt with the living dead. 

Ten walkers were making their way forward, a small cluster that would be manageable with everyone here. Prisha undid the clip on her satchel and brought out a bottle that held a liquid with a magenta tint. Mitch held his blacksmith hammer in his hand and prepared to strike. As the first two walkers strolled toward them, Sophie and Minnie ran forward. The twins worked in unison. Sophie made quick work of the one on the left, her blade slicing through its head and spraying one of the snowmen with brain matter. Minnie gritted her teeth as she impaled her sword though her walker’s skull, making the walker go limp before she tossed it aside.

An unearthly groan made her eyes shoot over to realize that one of the living dead had gotten too close for her comfort. Minnie stepped back in preparation when a knife flew through the air and hit the fragile skull of the undead with a wet thunk. Any semblance of life faded from the walker as it fell to the floor. Looking back Minnie saw that it was Renata who had thrown the knife. 

Violet and Brody moved forward and worked together, taking out another pair of walkers. Brody smashed its face in with a shield then ended its misery with the sharp edge of her heel. Violet’s sword sliced through the walker’s legs that were desperately trying to reach her, causing it to fall to the ground. With a sharp downward motion the blonde knight took down the threat. An arrow moved through the air with a faint yet sharp sound, hitting its target true as another walker fell. Aasim notched another arrow and looked for his next target. Prisha strode forward and threw her bottle in the air, hitting one of the furthest walkers that was struggling to catch up with its brethren. The bottle collided with the walker’s skull and caused its flesh to slowly melt before the liquid seeped into its brain and ended its life. 

They had already dealt with more than half of the cluster of the living dead but it was never safe until all were vanquished. Louis and Marlon moved forward together. Marlon sliced off the walker’s hands that tried to reach for his best friend. The hands fell to the ground with a squelching sound and with the opportunity now open Louis swung his sword and sliced through the walker’s skull. He took a deep breath and glanced over to see that Clementine and Omar were working together to take out another member of the living dead. Clementine dodged its attack and quickly knocked out its knee before Omar dug his dagger into the skull of the walker with a little too much force and caused it to collide and become stuck in the snowknight. 

That was nine down; they only needed to deal with one more. Mitch ran forward to claim the final walker and with a heavy hit from his blacksmith hammer the walker fell down onto the snow, staining it red. It still struggled to get back up until Mitch kneeled down and sunk his dagger into its skull. He pulled out his dagger and with a flick of his wrist cleaned off the blood from the last of the cluster of walkers. Everyone gathered around to make sure that they hadn’t received any bites or injuries when Louis spoke up.

“That sure was something,” He looked around, his smile fading for a moment when he noticed that the fight had ruined the snowmen. All of them were stained red with blood while some had the misfortune of guts and brain matter splattered on to them. An intestine was wrapped around one’s neck, closely resembling a scarf around Minnie and Mitch’s oddly shaped snowman. “Looks like the walkers sure did a number on our work.” His words made the others glance around at the mess.

“Well, I can still pick the best one,” Omar offered. “Once I do we can all go back to the castle for some apple cider.” That made many in the group chatter with excitement. With everyone in agreement, Omar walked around studying the snowmen intently even though they were covered by the blood, guts and smell of the dead. After many minutes of careful consideration, the judge finally came to his consensus. 

“The winners of this year's winter solstice snowman challenge is…” Omar paused for dramatic effect, mainly to enjoy the impatience expressed by the others. It was largely Sophie, Mitch, Renata, Louis and Aasim who seemed hyper invested, although the advisor tried his best to hide it. “Aasim and Brody’s snowman.”

“Yes!” Aasim exclaimed and high fived Brody who seemed just as happy about the victory. Sophie and Renata let out sad groans at the same time while Louis and Mitch seemed busy trying to convince Omar that their snowmen were the best.

“I’ve made my choice. Besides, the guards are here.” Omar gestured over to the set of guards that had moved in front of the unfinished wall, ready to guard it with their lives. “So let’s go inside.” Omar strolled forward, leading the way back to the gate. Willy, AJ and Tenn were following him close behind, all three of them excited for apple cider. The rest soon joined the walk back. Sophie ran forward and walked beside Omar.

“So, ever gonna share your secret to the apple cider?” The redheaded knight asked with excitement.

“Nope.” Omar stated simply, a small smile appearing on his lips when he saw the pout on Sophie’s lips. “But I’ll keep making it each year.”

“Yes!” Sophie practically jumped with happiness. “Man, you’re the best, Omar!”

Omar smiled at the compliment then looked back at the street ahead of him. 

“I can’t wait for the feast tonight!” Willy bounced excitedly as he walked forward.

“Well, the goose should be done in an hour or two.” Omar replied, causing a groan to leave AJ’s lips as well as Sophie’s. 

“You can’t rush perfection,” Omar gave one final smile before he continued down the street as the rest of his friends talked. 

Louis ran forward to catch up with Clem and flashed a big grin. “So, did you like your first winter solstice? I know it was a bit more extreme than last year, but...” Louis scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 

“Yeah, I’m enjoying it so far. It looks like AJ is too,” Clementine’s smile grew as she watched AJ talking animatedly with Willy and Tenn. 

“Just wait for the feast. That’s sure to put an even bigger smile on the little dude’s face.” Louis smiled over at Clementine.

“I’m sure.” Clementine’s words made Louis’ grin grow. He looked away from her for a moment and watched as his friends made their way back to the castle. All of them were happy even after the battle they had been forced to participate in. The young king felt his heart grow warm at the sight. It really was a good winter solstice celebration so far and things were sure to only go uphill from here.


	14. Entertain and Observe Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The knights of Ericson and King Louis are invited to a special tournament held in the Kingdom of Richmond.

The calm, cool breeze blew through the window causing Brody’s hair to move out of place as she looked down at the clear teapot. Piping hot water filled the pot and a thin line of steam escaped through the tea spout swirling around in the air.

“You ready?” She smiled over to Minnie who was looking toward the tea pot, a level of excitement dancing in her eyes. 

“Yeah,” With her approval Brody took off the lid and placed a green plant bulb inside. A hint of pink and orange poked out from the center of the item as it drifted down to the base of the teapot. Slowly the bulb opened up, a flower blossoming before the knights’ eyes, bright oranges and soft pinks clear through the glass teapot. The delicate blossom changed the color of the water, flavoring it to a gentle, comforting tea.

Holy shit,” Minnie whispered in awe as she looked closely at the teapot. Her reaction made the auburn knight chuckle as she got out the tea cups.

“You always react the same way, Minnie. How many times have we had blossom tea?” Brody glanced over her friend who was still entranced by the blossom.

“I don’t know but come on, this is so fucking cool.” Minnie leaned back in her chair and accepted the tea after her friend had poured her some.

“It is very pretty. I think I like the blue bulb better though when it comes to presentation,” Brody took a sip of her tea, letting the comforting flavor warm her up as a serene smile covered her lips. 

“Yeah, that one was cool too, but I think I like this one better.” Minnie took a sip and nodded in approval. “Yeah, this tea is better too.”   
“Well, agree to disagree then. I’ll have to check and see if Ruby has any more tea blossoms.” Brody’s smile grew when she saw how excited her best friend was at the prospect of more tea. 

“So, how’s married life treating you?” Minnie’s question made Brody pause in her tea drinking.

“Good, It’s just, well….” Brody’s finger brushed over the rim of her cup. “Mitch and I are always busy for most of the day so when we finally get a moment alone we just collapse from exhaustion.”

“Shit, that sucks,” Minnie placed down her cup. “Wanna switch patrol duty with me? Might work better for your schedule.” 

Brody’s eyes grew large at the offer before a bright smile covered her face. “Really? I’d really appreciate it!”

“Then it’s a deal.” Minnie resumed her tea drinking, happy that she could help her friend out.

“How are things going for you and Renata?” Brody asked, pouring some more tea for herself while she waited for her friend to answer.

“It’s going great,” Minnie had a happy smile on her face. “It's been a bit busy but Ren always sneaks by throughout the day and surprises me,” Minnie played with her hair as a light blush covered her face.

“So,” Brody smiled from over the rim of her tea cup with a teasing smile “You planning on proposing in the near future?”

That question made Minnie choke on her tea as she became more flustered. Brody got up from her spot and whacked the redhead’s back.

“Shit, sorry. Are you okay?” Brody looked at Minnie with a concerned expression as the redheaded knight continued to cough.

“I’m okay,” Minnie cleared her throat one more time. “To answer your question… I’ve been thinking about it.”

Brody let out an excited gasp. “Really?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know. Life is so busy and with the kingdom’s current state… I just want it to happen in a more peaceful moment y’know? When there aren’t fifty shitty things happening and we can actually enjoy the moment.”

“That makes sense,” Brody sat back down. “But I think regardless of what's happening around us whenever either you or Renata propose it will be special.”   
Minnie stopped her drinking and looked over at Brody. The knight processed her friend’s words and knew that there was truth in them. But still, she did want that special moment to not be quite so hectic. But then again in the world they lived in would there ever be a time of peace? Minnie was pulled from her thoughts when she heard footsteps running towards the door. Sophie appeared slightly out of breath but quickly flashed a bright smile at the pair.

“Hey, you two,” Her smile faded for a second. “Oh shit. Was I interrupting tea time?”

“Yeah, but what’s up?” Minnie leaned forward and looked at her twin.

“It’s time for training. All the others are in the training yard,” Sophie pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. 

“Well looks like we’ll just have to make our next tea time longer,” Brody smiled and finished up her tea before rising to her feet.

Minnie downed the rest of the tea, shaking her head when she felt the warmth overwhelm her throat and with a final cough she rose up as well. 

The three knights walked through the castle together, talking animatedly as they made their way to the yard. When they arrived they saw that the other knights were already hard at work in their training. Marlon and Clementine were in a heated sparring match, both of them determined to win as they clashed wooden swords again and again. They were both balanced fighters, making it a challenge to break through their opponent’s defense and land in any good hits. On the other side of the yard was Violet who was prepping the hay targets for archery practice. 

“Well, what are you two going to work on today?” Sophie looked over at the two. “You can join me and Vi for some archery or you can spar for a bit.”

“I feel like sparring,” Minnie rolled her shoulder around and cracked her neck. “You down for a match?”

“Sounds good to me.” Brody strolled forward before spinning around and walking backwards with a confident smile. “With the new shield I got, I doubt you can win.”   
Minnie’s own smile grew at that statement. “Heh, you wanna bet?” 

“Sure,” Brody went over and picked up a wooden sword before tossing one the redhead’s way. “Loser cleans the winner’s stables?”

Minnie caught the sword with ease and spun it around in her hand. “Deal. Get ready to clean Nightshade’s stable.”

Brody let out a chuckle as she walked over to where the newest shield Mitch made for her lay and secured it to her arm. “Don’t get cocky just because you won last time.”

The two friends continued to banter for a minute then stood in front of each other. Minnie took this moment to glance around at the other knights to make sure she and Brody weren’t in their way. From the looks of it they weren't. Clementine was slowly gaining the upper hand on Marlon and Violet and Sophie were both shooting arrows. Violet’s shots always landed closer to the bullseye while Sophie’s seemed to get near the mark but never quite there. Regardless, the redhead seemed to be having a fun time as she talked with the blonde knight who was enjoying her best friend’s company.

“Ready?” Brody’s voice drew Minnie back to the sparring match.

“Always,” Minnie positioned her sword and in a moment closed the distance between her and Brody. With a mighty swing Minnie’s sword clashed down against the auburn knight’s shield, causing a ringing sound to echo through the training yard. Brody smiled and pushed back Minnie before sending out her own attack. Minnie blocked it then shifted her feet to try and get to Brody’s blindspot but the knight had read her friend’s move and blocked the next attack. It was going to be a long match.

Brody was easily the strongest when it came to defense for the knights of Ericson and Minnie was always highly regarded for her skill in offense. Minnie gritted her teeth and backstepped before letting out a flurry of attacks. Her best course of action was to overwhelm Brody to the point where she couldn’t attack back and eventually her concentration would slip. But Brody wasn’t making it easy as she dodged Minnie’s attacks and added a few harsh swings into the mix. The redhead blocked as many as she could but her defense wasn’t up to par. She absorbed some hits while she continued to try and break Brody’s defense. 

Finally there came a moment where Minnie successfully landed a hit that made Brody put down her shield. “Better luck next time,” Minnie gave a strong swing towards Brody’s exposed side as a proud smile played on her lips. That smile faded though when she saw a small smirk appear on Brody’s lips. But before Minnie could figure out the auburn’s plan, Brody had already sidestepped the attack. Minnie’s harsh swing made her nearly fall over from the force. She tried to readjust in time but before she could Brody kicked out her leg. The redhead knight fell over with a grunt and looked up to see Brody pointing her wooden sword at Minnie’s neck.

“Gotcha. Looks like you’ll be bonding with Alora over manure.” Brody smiled down at Minnie who had a small frown on her face.

“Just wait till next time and you’ll be the one bonding over shit,” Minnie accepted Brody’s hand as she gave a soft chuckle. The auburn knight was about to comment on her friend’s declaration when Louis strode forward into the training yard.

“Hey, Lou,” Marlon paused in his second match with Clementine. “What brings you to the training yard?”   
“A message has arrived from the kingdom of Richmond. Queen Joan wants me along with the knights to come to her kingdom for a friendly tournament.” The king’s words made all training stop as the knights gathered around their ruler. “I spoke with Aasim and we both think it's best to only bring three or four of you with me. Don’t want to leave Ericson with none of the knights.”   
“That would be smart,” Marlon nodded in agreement. 

“Oh, and she requested that the Commander of the Knights be present so Marlon takes one of the spots.” Louis’ words made Marlon blink for a moment before smiling.

“Well, I wanted to go anyway so that works out,”

“That's good. I’d feel a lot better having my best friend there with me,” Louis smiled warmly over at Marlon who returned the gesture.

“Alright, so that leaves a few more spots. Any other takers?” The king looked around at his friends.

“I’ll go,” Clementine and Sophie spoke at the same time then looked at each other with competitive smiles.

“Seems like great minds think alike,” Clementine looked over at the redhead.

“A tournament sounds fun and we can show the kingdom of Richmond what true knights look like!” Sophie smiled proudly before her eyes locked with Minnie’s. Her twin looked worried and upset. Sophie internally winced at the sight, immediately realizing why in a second. Last time she had gone to another kingdom she had been taken prisoner and nearly executed. But that was the Kingdom of Howes and this was a new kingdom with new people. It would be rude to think all other kingdoms were bad. And besides Sophie was a knight and would have to visit other kingdoms eventually. Still, Minnie was worried. 

“I’m going too then,” Minnie took a step forward. 

“”Alright, then we have our knights. Vi, Brody, are you okay with staying behind?”

Sure,” Violet gave a shrug.

“Yeah, I didn’t really want to take the day's journey out there so I’m fine with staying behind,” Brody added with a smile.

“Then it’s settled. We leave at once. Gather your horses and I’ll ask a guard to let the others know that you’ll be gone for a few days,” WIth one final smile and wave King Louis was gone, his royal cape fluttering in the wind behind him as he went to make his final preparations. The knights quickly cleaned up the training yard and moved to get their armor on for the journey. Sophie and Minnie talked amongst themselves about what they thought the kingdom would look like. Neither had been there yet. When Marlon offered to share what it looked like, Sophie immediately shut it down.

“No, no, no. I wanna be surprised,” Sophie helped get Minnie’s chain mail on before Minnie did the same for her. “I wanna see what kind of kingdom we got aligned with.”

“It is a nice place,” Brody commented as she helped Clementine gather her weaponry. “Real pretty.”

“Yeah?” Minnie readjusted her armor before placing her crossbow on her back. “Prettier than here?”

“Well, this is home so I don’t think any place is as pretty, but it is nice to see new places,” Brody’s face was bright. She always did love traveling around on Alora and seeing the new locations even if the world was swarming with the living dead. After a few more minutes all the knights were ready and were gathering at the stables where their horses were ready to go.

“Dang, look at you guys!” Louis’ cheery voice made the knights look over at their king who was standing beside Mitch, Aasim and Tenn. “You look ready to kick ass at the tournament!”   
“Those losers better get ready to lose,” Clementine declared proudly as she went over to give Karma some pats. The other knights assigned to leave started to give the two knights staying behind goodbyes and hugs.

“Well, guess I’ll clean out the stable when I get back,” Minnie smiled over at Brody.

“I guess so,” Bordy wrapped Minnie in a hug. “Be careful. All of you.” Brody looked over at Sophie and Marlon who were saying goodbye to Violet. 

“We will,” Sophie turned her attention back to Violet. “See you in a few days.”

“Okay,” Violet gave a nod and remained quiet for a moment then silently went forward and gave Sophie a hug. Sophie smiled and returned the hug, swaying back and forth as Violet grumbled slightly. After those goodbyes were done the knights leaving double checked their bags before a new voice spoke up.

“You’ll be careful, right?” Tenn asked his sisters who both gave reassuring smiles.

“We will,” Minnie wrapped her little brother up in a warm hug.

“Yeah, we’ve got each other so we’ll make sure we're safe!” Sophie gave Tenn a hug as well.

“Wait!” Renata’s voice appeared from around the corner. The court jester sprinted forward and skidded to a halt. “I just heard,” Renata took a shaky breath to try and get oxygen back in her lungs. “You’re both leaving?”

“Yep,” Sophie looked over at her best friend. “But we’ll be fine. Right, Minnie?”

“Yeah,” Minnie moved forward and took Renata’s hands in hers. “I promise.” She gave a soft, loving smile to Renata who returned it even though deep within her eyes held a level of fear and worry. Minnie knew the reason why. It was the same fear that she had, except for Renata it was doubled because both her love and best friend had offered to go to the Kingdom of Richmond.

“You better kick ass!” Renata looked over at Sophie who flashed a confident grin.

“Please,” Sophie smacked her fist against her heart. “With our knights we’re unstoppable!” She then ran over and swept Renata in a hug before hopping back on her horse. “Hullabaloo and Nightshade will make sure we get there safe too,” The redheaded knight gave her horse some loving pats. “Besides, we all have luck on our side!” Sophie pulled out her wooden trinket which signalled the other traveling knights to do the same. Clem was the first to follow Sophie’s lead, displaying her autumn leaf trinket then Marlon held out his shield trinket with pride while Minnie showed hers that was in the shape of horse with just as much pride.

“Gonna show them the power of Ericson!” Renata smiled brightly then looked back up at Minnie. “Gotta give you some good luck kisses,” Renata got up on her tippy toes and began to pepper Minnie’s face with kisses. The knight’s face grew as red as her hair as she let out shy giggles before returning the affection. After a minute Minnie gently wrapped her arms around Renata.

“We’ll be back and we’ll be safe,” Minnie whispered and Renata gave a nod. With that the knights all got on their steeds along with their king.

“You secured the gift, right?’ Aasim asked Louis who gave a proud nod.

“Yep, plenty of minerals and materials for crafting. I’m sure Queen Joan will love it.”

“It will certainly strengthen our relationship with them. Just make sure all of you are careful,” Aasim looked worried for his friends who all smiled back at him.

“We will. Come on, Tempo!” Louis tapped his feet against the white horse’s sides. Tempo gave a small snort with its black covered snout. All the other knights followed closely behind along with some guards who were along for the journey. The gatekeeper opened the gate, the mechanism and gears grinding together and pushing open the doors that led to the world hat had fallen to the living dead. Walkers roamed around aimlessly, some fighting amongst themselves for the random creature or rock they had found. 

Louis led the way on his horse, slicing down any walkers that strayed near his path. Marlon rode alongside him along with Clementine while the twins were in the middle followed behind by the guards. It was going to be a long journey by horse and it would take nearly a day. So Louis did what he knew best and started up conversation that soon turned into playful banter.

“Oh my dear Clementine, you wound me,” Louis held his heart in mock sadness. “You don’t think I can sing “My Maiden Rose” while on tempo and play my lute?”

“Well, it would certainly be a sight if you did succeed,” Clementine smiled warmly over at her friend then glanced away before slicing down a walker than seemed rather interested in Karma.

“I don’t know if you can do that, Lou, without falling on your ass,” Marlon added, his body swaying back and forth in time to Oblivion’s trot.

Louis looked over at his best friend in fake shock. “I guess I will just have to prove it then,” the king shook his head. 

“If you’re so confident, you should place bets,” Sophie called forth, unembedding her blade from the living dead she had just slain. 

“Well if that's the case, then I say he can do it,” Minnie replied, giving Nightshade a pat before resuming her duty of clearing the road of the living dead.

“Oh ho, what will you be betting?” Louis glanced back for a moment and gave a playful smile. 

“A new tune that you haven't heard of yet,” Minnie’s response made Louis’ eyes practically sparkle.

“I was just going to bet some coin,” Marlon sliced down another member of the living dead and flicked the blood off. Sophie nodded along to her love’s statement as she and Hullabulla moved forward.

“Yeah, same,” Clementine chimed in. “But I think I’ll bet against you.” She had a playful smile on her face.

“Oh? You don't believe in your king?” Louis returned the smile in kind before he grew slightly self-conscious and looked away. 

“I think she’d just find it funny if you fell on your butt which I agree with. So I’ll be putting my money there too,” Sophie stated simply.

“Then I’ll bet that Louis can do it,” Marlon smiled over then sliced through the skull of a member of the living dead. “But let’s wait until we’re safely behind Richmond’s walls before trying it.”

“You’ve all got yourselves a deal!” Louis sheathed his sword and pulled on the sides of his royal robes. “I am known as quite the renaissance man,” He flashed a smile Clementine’s way only for it to falter when he nearly lost control of Tempo. 

The knights laughed and continued to talk with their king. Their conversation made the hours fly by and soon the sky had turned a deep, mesmerising blue and they had set up camp for the night. The groups sat around the fire enjoying the sparse meal they had before Louis began to play his lute. His music drifted through the air, circling the fire and warming the knights’ hearts as they heard songs many of them had grown up with. Louis’ smooth, comforting voice made the songs all the better before he asked the others to join in for a song or two. 

The group’s voices rang out through the night as those on watch duty looked for any signs of danger. Eventually it came time to turn in then all too soon morning was upon them. After having a small breakfast the group set out once more for the Kingdom of Richmond. Louis hummed happily along with Marlon to a tune while Clementine moved back to talk with Minnie and Sophie who both seemed rather excited for what was to come. Minnie was looking forward to the sights while Sophie seemed excited to be in a kingdom that was rumored to be blessed with plentiful food. 

After a few more hours of riding they could make out the large, greystone castle in the distance and once they drew closer they saw a plethora of archers on the walls. Their bows were drawn and after being given the command they let their arrows fly true, hitting the living dead that dared to roam near their gates. Once the travellers had reached the entrance they all stopped.

“Who goes there?” the gatekeeper asked with an untrusting gaze.

“It is I, King Louis. I hail from the Kingdom of Ericson. These are my most trusted companions and knights. Queen Joan has invited us for the tournament.” Louis called out to the gatekeeper whose eyes widened in shock before he spoke.

“Of course, my apologies. I will get the gates open at once!” With that he disappeared and within moments the gates were opened and showed the beauty of Richmond as the troupe made their way inside. The streets were bustling with all classes of people going about their normal days. It felt different from Ericson however. The air that danced around this place was reminiscent of a time that Louis and the others had thought was long gone. A time before the living dead. Children ran around merrily and the folk seemed unaware of the outside world. Beautiful flowers of white and different shades of blue filled the potholders and banners ran from one rooftop to another. The royal colors of midnight blue and silver were prominent throughout the streets with small flags dangling from the rooftops and stands that filled the kingdom. 

As they made their way to the center they saw a large marble fountain where multiple spouts shot up. In the center of the fountain standing tall and proud was a statue of a lady dressed in the finest of clothing with a crown adorning her head. In her right hand was a sword and her left hand was extended to the heavens. A serene, all-knowing smile was on the statue’s lips as its eyes looked up at the sky. 

Marlon let out an impressed whistle as they passed by. “Wonder how much work went into that,” 

“Probably a lot based on the craftsmanship,” Sophie trotted up to be beside her love. He smiled shyly over at her and was about to talk when an unfamiliar voice appeared by the steps of the castle.

“You’ve arrived!” The voice belonged to a woman who shared the same face of that of the statue. A streak of white painted her black hair and a crown filled with shimmering jewels rested on top of her head. This must be the queen. To her right was a woman with dark brown hair displayed beautifully in an intricate bun. A small mole beside her left eye only seemed to enhance her beauty along with the dark blue dress she wore. Small detailing in silver was prominent around her collarbone and the ends of her long flowing sleeves. The younger woman had an aura of warmth and comfort to her as her brown eyes shone brightly in contrast to the simple circlet on her forehead.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Richmond,” the young woman in the deep blue dress said with a curtsy. “I am Princess Eleanor and this is my mother Joan, queen of this fair kingdom.” Eleanor had a kind smile on her face, although Louis thought for a split second he saw something dancing deep within the depths of her eyes. It was so quick, however, that the young king doubted it was anything more than his nerves getting to him.

Louis hopped down from his steed and moved forward, giving a deep bow. “Louis, fifth king of Ericson,” His red robes blew gently in the wind along with his dreadlocks that were safely tucked underneath his crown. “It is an honor to meet you two.” 

“As it is with making your acquaintance,” Joan gave a small nod. “I see you brought your knights.”

“Most of them,” Louis turned to look at his knights who had remained on their steeds. 

“Well, there will be time for introductions at the beginning of the tournament feast before the events. For now, let us enjoy each other’s company and all my beautiful kingdom has to offer.” Joan held out her hands and gave a friendly smile. Louis glanced back at his friends who all shared a look of excitement and nervousness.This was certain to be a memorable visit.


End file.
